Shane Watson will be rested for the second, third and fourth ODIs against England, Cricket Australia announced on Thursday (January 16), after originally saying that the allrounder will sit out the second ODI, to be played on Friday in Brisbane. The third and fourth ODIs will be played in Sydney (January 19) and Perth (January 24).
Watson, 32, rediscovered his batting touch during the Ashes series and has been key to Australia’s latest success. He played the first ODI against England on Sunday in Melbourne, where he was out for a duck and then bowled five wicketless overs for 36 runs. Australia won the match by six wickets after Aaron Finch (121) and David Warner (65) helped them chase down England’s 269 for 7.
The national selection panel said Watson would rejoin the squad for the final ODI, to be played in Adelaide on January 26. Dan Christian was named as Watson’s replacement.
“Given Shane’s workload in the past 12 months, we consider it would be beneficial for him to have a longer break and continue his training programme at home in Sydney ahead of the final ODI and the tour of South Africa,” said Darren lehmann.
“Dan Christian, who has been in excellent form in recent weeks, has been added to the ODI squad to provide an all-round option in Shane’s absence.”
Hamstring and calf injuries have been common for Watson and there has always been a question mark over balancing his workload as an allrounder.