Watson says want to play maximum games for Oz in all formats without ‘enforced’ rests

Sydney: Shane Watson has said he would like to play in all formats of the game for Australia without being forced to rest under the controversial rotation policy adopted by Cricket Australia (CA). Watson said he will be at full capacity for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting Friday, although the all-rounder has come under pressure to give-up bowling in the shorter formats to safeguard him from career-threatening breakdowns. CA monitors the workloads of its elite bowlers closely and captain Michael Clarke believes the national team needs a squad mentality more than ever given the surplus of international matches squeezed into the ICC calendar.

While appreciating the merits of a resting policy, the all-rounder has spoken with CA’s high-performance boss Pat Howard and coach Mickey Arthur about playing at every opportunity. “That is the hardest thing about some of the rotation stuff at times, is giving other guys an opportunity to make the most of a chance. I``ve given plenty of guys opportunities with injuries in my career, so I want to make the most of my time in the Australian team,” News.com.au quoted Watson, as saying. “In the end, with the amount of cricket that``s on there``s no doubt that guys are fresher than others at certain periods of time. But on the other side, especially with my history of missing games, when I``m fit I want to play,” he added. “Doing what I do, if it gets to a stage where you are physically or mentally fatigued, then maybe a break is a good thing. There are times in the schedule where we have enforced rests anyway, but I``ve had a chat to Pat and Mickey about this,” he said. Watson added: “I love playing and I want to be out there in all three forms as much as possible. If it gets to stage where I am susceptible to a fatigue injury and need a break, maybe rest me for one game, but otherwise when I``m fresh I want to play. No one likes missing games.” ANI