Should Watson come back into the Test side?

it was a silky six

no way would i have him in the team. put australia's decline down to he retirement of some greats- no way. australia's fall is in inverse proportion to the rise (if you could call it that) of watson.

Cowan doesn't deserve more of a chance. The difference was Hodge's and Jacques' first class averages were well over 40. Bailey, Quiney, S.Marsh, Cowan, Ferguson, Doolan ... first-class averages below 40 do not belong in test cricket.

mate just give him more of a chance Australia do not want another forgotten cricketer who has played a handful of tests, showed some promise then gets dropped and never plays again. e.g phil jacques and brad hodge. sure they both averaged 45-50 in the games they played but lay the heat off cowan and give him another chance, india is a great opportunity and is a place where big scores can be made.

Was it not Mark Waugh, who said recently on air that Watson looked to be in terrible form? Or was it AB? We get the drift....The manner of his dismissal tonight in the Ryobi Cup, caught and bowled for six, was almost as bad as some of Punter's last few Test dismissals. My view is send him back to domestic cricket and tell him to work harder on his persistent weaknesses and faults, the foot plods that lead to LBW's, hoicks to mid-wicket, and poor concentration/endurance issues...if he wants to be a long term Test opener he needs to work hard.

Watson is fine form. 6 off 23 opening for NSW in the Ryobi Cup. I wonder how Inverarity will justify selecting him?

Cowan has had 13 tests in a row. That is a lot of time to waste on a player that isn't very good (30 years old, 8 odd years of cricket and still averaging in the 30s). Giving decent players like Khawaja 13 tests in a row would be far more beneficial to Australian cricket.

Guys stop bagging Ed Cowan He is nowhere near the worst player to have played for Australia despite the fact he is nowhere near the best. He has only played a handful of test matches, 2 less than David Warner and though he hasn't had the numbers to back up his potential, he is capable of being a successful opener. Remember Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer? our most successful openers didn't start their careers that brilliantly either (though Langer was originally a no.3/4 batsman). But Matthew Hayden didn't score his first hundred for Australia till 1997, 4 years after his debut and he averaged only 17 in his first 7 and a half years as an opener. It wasn't until the Indian series in 2001 where he really stamped his potentials and cemented his spot. Simon Katich who was an opener for us during 2008-2010 only averaged low 30s in his first 6 years in the Australian side. He then had a terrific series against the Windies in 2008 and India. The series in Indian will give Cowan a real chance to cement his spot for the Ashes,maybe do something similar to what Hayden did in 2001, obviously he won't score 500 runs in the series but a couple of hundreds will do. But i do agree with others that if he underpeforms in India then he shall be dropped. I dont think he should be dropped from the side altogether, but i'd give him a go in the middle order, have Watson back at the opening position immediately. But everyone stop being so harsh to Ed, he is finding his place in the Australia side and will do very soon. He is the perfect partner for Warner, the defensive working the ball around opener to Warner's attack and hit through the line style.

Who bats at 4 then Rob, or at 5 if Clarke bats 4?

He's the test vice captain. That might have something to do with it.

"The bulk of his runs came in 2009 and 2010 after he was promoted with the demise of Hughes..." Yep and it was against quite possibly the worst West Indian attack ever to leave the multiple shores of the Carribean (Rampaul opening the bowling - seriously!) followed by a series against Pakistan where we have since learnt the Pakistani's were deliberately trying to lose matches!

Agreed 100%,ifowan plays in India he wil fail an tha ay he won't be there for the ashes,Watto canonly play as opener and he is better then Cowan so its simple. Guys such as Khawaja and Burns desere to play test cricket much more then Cowan

Red Kev i love your analysis mate but disagree on the replacements, Khawaja was selected as stand in batsman for the last 2 tests, all indications from the selectors is that he will be picked so i see him either taking the number 6 spot or filling in for Watto when he flies back, either way it will happen for Khawaja.

If you where going to select Watson I would axe Cowan and have Khawaja at 6. Cowan is one of those players who would only have himself to blame if he gets axed. An average of 30 after 10 test is not good eough.

Watson needs to stop telling everyone who should be picked. This morning he went into bat for henriques saying he should be selected. He is constantly telling everyone where he should bat and who else should play. I would like to know what he thinks makes him so important to have his opinion heard all the time. When he supports one player publicly he is telling another he is not wanted and that is what he has told Cowan with his declaration that he wants to open. A touch of self importance and putting himself first.

"The sad truth is since the 2010 Boxing Day Test he has only played some 12 tests, for zero hundreds, average about 24." That pretty much says enough for me - he needs to earn his way back into the side and at score some runs in any form of cricket he plays. A 'silky' 30 in a club game is not enough. He does not deserve a free pass to the batting position of his choice. If he can show some form then fair enough.

its too simplistic to say Watson averages 43 as an opener. The bulk of his runs came in 2009 and 2010 after he was promoted with the demise of Hughes, which will be 3 years ago come the Ashes. The sad truth is since the 2010 Boxing Day Test he has only played some 12 tests, for zero hundreds, average about 24. He played the 2011 season as opener, again averaging only 24. The 84 he got in Melb was laborious, agricultural, he again got out playing a brainless hoick and it was immediately after Clarkes dismissal so we had two fresh batsmen on nothing. He has always had a technical fault of plonking the front pad straight down the wicket disregarding line and length of the ball, leading to a preponderance of bowled and LBW decisions. To show he has no idea, he always uses the referral, invariably a waste as it hits half way up middle. He also has a mental failing, invariably getting out after a start. This is almost always immediately before or after a break in play, he lacks serious concentration. Shane Watson should be playing shield cricket getting some form in the longer game before playing Test matches again.

If Watson was to open, what happens in the middle order. It would be papering over a crack in order to leave a hole. There is also thr simple possibility that Watson averaged more as an opener simply because he was playing better cricket at the time, and it had nothing to do with the position. His form has been such that without his bowling he, like Cowan, has top be under a lot of pressure to retain a place. As a batsman, he hasn't been doing his job either. Neither would play if there was any in form batting in this country. I would have him in the side, basically by default, and Cowan as well. Warner (safe for now), Cowan (obviously under pressure), Hughes (safe for now), Clarke (the only one in the top seven who can book their England flights), Watson (safe for now, but coming under pressure if he doesn't bowl), Khawaja (probably not ideal for India, but the best of the options who are actually performing).

I think you’re probably right, Watto will be reinstated as an opener sooner or later. The fact is that 5-10 overs combined in a full day of test match cricket out of Watson, Warner and Clarke (and maybe even Khawaja) is plenty to supplement a full-strength 4-man bowling attack.

It will be Cowan or Watson. Not both. The selectors have always wanted him at the top of the order but the bowling load has stopped them. Not anymore, although I do think he will still bowl a few overs