Shane Watson to continue opening for Australia, confirms Clarke.Tag
AUSinSA2011
Shane Watson was a cricketer whose career was going no where thanks to bulky body he had which kept him in rehabilation more than on cricket field but suddenly, he was given a chance during Ashes 2009 as opener and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands. Since then, for two years, Watson continued to do the job, was named vice captain and even struck the highest score by a batsman in one day cricket chasing a target but now, he may have to drop down the order as his bat isn't doing the same damage as it was..The point was raised when Shaun Marsh made century on test debut in Sri Lanka and then Philp Hughes struck superb century in final test in island. Now, Aussies have two full time openers which begs a question for Watson to get down the order which will allow him some chance to work on his bowling as well. Last week, Watson was quoted as saying; "My role in the team has changed". "I have additional bowling demands and I do have to consider whether my body will be able to handle it. I need to think about what will be the best for the team, and how to get the best out of myself, moving ahead. I will continue to talk to [captain] Michael Clarke about it, but having just gone through the Sri Lanka series with that extra workload, this is the time I am thinking about it more." But as of now, with South African tour coming up, Aussie skipper Michael Clarke has put his weight behind his New South Wales team-mate and cleared that he'll be the first choice opener for the national side. "My mind hasn't changed since Sri Lanka," Clarke said. "Right now I think he's best for the team opening the batting and that's certainly where he'll bat in South Africa." Since Simon Katich was dropped, Philp Hughes was identified as preferred opener but he struggled in first two tests in Sri Lanka before scoring a century in last test. Clarke isn't ready to change what's working for his team. "When we left Sri Lanka he (Hughes) was excited he made some runs at the end of that tour and got another hundred for Australia which is fantastic," Clarke said. "He knows he's had some success over there, so I think he's pretty excited to get over there and bat in those conditions again." 
Hughes' success on that tour was emblematic of Australia's unexpected 2-1 series victory over the South Africans, and those memories will now be fused with the confidence derived from a committed, organised and thorough team display in Sri Lanka."I think we can take a lot of confidence out of it, but we went there planning and hoping to win the series, whether it be the one-day game or the Test series," Clarke said. "So we weren't shocked but we knew it took a lot of hard work. "That's probably what it did more than anything else, it showed us how hard it is to win in those tough conditions and I'm certain South Africa is going to be the same, a really tough test to have success over there. "We won't be slackening off, if anything we're going to be working harder. We're trying to get better every day, so there's certainly no room for taking things for granted." Looking forward, captain Michael Clarke admits the challenge in South Africa will be big as they're higher ranked team and pitches will be fresh as it's the start of new season, meaning more pace and bounce. "It's as big a challenge no doubt, conditions are a lot different," Clarke said. "I've had the opportunity to look at Sri Lanka and look at the pros and cons, the areas we need to improve, and that's really important for me over the next week to make sure planning with Troy Cooley and the other coaches, that we are trying to improve a few of those areas. "But South Africa are going to be tough, their own conditions, I think the wickets will probably suit us a bit more, our own fast bowlers I know are looking forward to getting over there and seeing a bit more pace and bounce than there was in Sri Lanka. But it's going to be a really tough tour. "I think the advantage we have for the guys that are home can now prepare in Australian conditions, which are very similar to South African conditions. The next week or so that'll be my plan, to do as much batting as I can, whether it be the SCG on outdoor wickets or indoor nets with the bowling machine, and hopefully that'll hold us in good stead."
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