The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : I’d go anywhere to play for Australia: Watson

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I’d go anywhere to play for Australia: Watson

Melbourne: The thought of going to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy is giving jitters to his teammates, but Australian all-rounder Shane Watson says he is so desperate to keep his place in the side that he would not mind ignoring security concerns to play in the troubled country.

Watson, whose history of injury breakdowns came in the way of his cementing a slot in the Aussie team in the past, has blossomed into a consistent match winner off late pulling of man-of-the-series winning performances in the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ODI series against West Indies.

And the 27-year-old is in no mood to halt his remarkable run by pulling out of the mini World Cup due to security concerns.

“I’d go anywhere, I’d play anywhere,” he was quoted as saying in The Australia.

“I just want to play for my country, that’s what I’ve worked so hard for. I’ve been through some up-and-down times over the last year, so I’d do anything to play for my country, so wherever I have to go I’ll go,” he added.

Watson said he himself has been left amazed by his recent form as only a few months ago, the only future he could visualise for himself at this time of the year was a county stint in England.

Unexpected

“It’s just been so great to be part of the Australian team again. It’s been an interesting last year and to be able to be here now, to be part of a winning team and to play a big role in it is something I wasn’t expecting at all. I was expecting to be in England playing county cricket,” Watson said.

The lanky all-rounder said his stint in the IPL helped him raise his fitness level and get back in groove after a prolonged injury layoff.

“We played a lot of cricket in six weeks, so physically it gave me a lot of confidence to know that I could get through a pretty tiring schedule,” Watson said,

“I think it brought my whole game, every aspect, batting and bowling, to another level. It was a great time and my cricket improved a lot and that was my aim at the start of the tournament.

“It’s been great, especially the last three or four months playing in the IPL and the West Indies series to be physically able to get through it,” he added.

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