Shane Watson will push for a recall in the third Test at Cape Town. Watson started bowling in the nets on Wednesday off a shortened run-up, but wasn’t able to overcome his calf injury in time to feature in the second Test that started on Thursday in Port Elizabeth.
Coach Darren Lehmann said the plan was for the star allrounder to be fully fit by March 1, when the three-Test series ends in Cape Town.
“He bowled a little bit yesterday,” Lehmann said before play started at St George’s Park.
“The advantage of having the same XI (in Port Elizabeth) gives him that extra 10 days to get ready for Cape Town.
“We see him as an important player, as does Michael (Clarke) who loves that fifth bowling option.”
Lehmann suggested the national selectors may well have changed the team that downed the Proteas by 281 runs in Centurion, had the contest not been so one-sided.
“We gave consideration to an allrounder’s spot. We like that fifth bowler, as we’ve said many times before,” he said.
“But the four bowlers didn’t bowl too much and did a really good job in the first Test.
“We did (consider Moises Henriques), we looked at all options. I suppose the extra day off and only bowling 120 overs allowed us to play the same XI.
“If they had done a lot of bowling during the last Test we would definitely have to have the extra bowler.”
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