By IANS,
Melbourne : Injury once again haunts Australian all-rounder Shane Watson who will be out of action for six weeks and will not bowl for six months because of stress fractures in his back.
Watson’s latest injury follows a bad run over the years which includes previous back problems, a shoulder reconstruction and chronic hamstring problems.
Watson, 27, complained of back soreness at training on Christmas Eve, and felt he had injured himself by pushing himself too hard.
“I felt I’d made some really, really big inroads into my game in being able to play consistently, and I suppose I was pushing myself to the edge, which is what I need to do to be able to achieve the things I want to achieve,” Watson was quoted as saying in The Australian.
“Unfortunately it just tipped over the edge a little bit. Hopefully it won’t happen again when I come back.”
Watson said he would rest to let the injury heal, and then return to play as a specialist batsman. He remains unlikely to bowl for six months.
“I think it’s about four to six weeks of just rest, let the fracture heal, and then just start playing as a batsman,” he said.
“The great thing about being an all-rounder is that I can play as a batsman until I’m back bowling, so I’ll still be able to be a part of the game and continue to improve my batting.
“I’m not exactly sure of the timeline for bowling but to be back to full bowling it is probably going to be four to six months I think.”
Watson’s injury complicates Australia’s selection for the third Test against South Africa in Sydney given that he was an alternate all-rounder for the struggling Andrew Symonds, who is also battling knee soreness.
Australia have already lost the three-match series with successive defeats in Perth and Melbourne.