A ton of ambition derailed Watson
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday August 14, 2009
A RUEFUL Shane Watson concedes he has been distracted by thoughts of carving out a maiden Test hundred in his past three innings, thus falling shortly after scoring half-centuries.The candid revelation by Australia's new opener was as surprising as his admission that the team's hierarchy told him Brett Lee was not match fit for Headingley before he entered a press conference last week, causing much angst for the overlooked paceman, who then contradicted Watson's statements by declaring his fitness in an ensuing chat with journalists shortly after.The pair have apparently settled their differences. Now it is time for Watson to settle his issues with the century barrier. His scores of 62, 53 and 51 €“ in his first three innings as a Test opener €“ were indicative of a highly capable batsman but he must now show the boldness to compile a big total."My dream as a young kid was to get a Test hundred, I was lucky enough to get an ODI hundred and my goal and my dream is to get a Test hundred," Watson said."The issue has been that once I got to 50 I was getting a bit far ahead of myself, rather than worrying about the next ball and concentrating on that. It has been a mental thing that I have to get over."I've been able to put a finger on the things that I have been doing that normally I haven't been doing. You have to get through the new ball which is the most important thing because you can get knocked over, but I've put my finger on exactly what it is. It means so much to me to get my first hundred that I have been wanting it too much."I identified it myself. I sat down after this [past Test at Headingley] and thought, 'Why is this happening?' It was because I was thinking about my score and when I've got big scores I've just been thinking about batting time. I know if I bat long periods of time, I will get a big score. When I think about the score I get a bit nervous and it all goes awry."With a highest score of 78 and an average of 26.43, it's little wonder Watson gets giddy at the thought of cracking the magic number, but after recalling a conversation with one of the country's most successful openers the 28-year-old believes he has found a simplified approach as the final Ashes Test looms."It's a mental barrier I have to get over," Watson said. "I know a way that has worked in the past is just batting time. I remember talking to Matt Hayden about when he was in his peak in 2002 and he said when he batted best he was just thinking about time."The score is a bonus from what you are doing. That's the key for me. I've been getting away from that because I've been so excited about batting as well as I have and scoring the runs I have."As for the declaration on Lee's fitness, or lack thereof, Watson was clear: "I was told by Australian hierarchy that he was medically fit but not match fit." It reveals much in the thinking of coach Tim Nielsen and skipper Ricky Ponting that they were not going to risk the fast bowler until he had proved himself in a contest, a chance he is likely to receive in this weekend's practice match in Canterbury.For Lee to play in the fifth Test, he'll apparently need to be invited by Ponting for a coffee. Watson had no idea he was being considered as a replacement for Phillip Hughes until two days before the Edgbaston Test, finding out over cappuccinos with the captain."The first I knew was two days before the Test, when I was having coffee with Ricky and he said: 'There's a chance you will open the batting, so get your head around it.' He put that seed in my head," Watson revealed."My last experience opening for Queensland wasn't that good, but after the [tour] game at Northants [in which he scored 84 from 96 balls and 50 from 35] I felt very comfortable, and having done all the work on my technique I knew I was in a great place to be able to handle the new ball. I found out the next day at training."When you come in halfway through a series, you are expected to perform. The person who has been dropped hasn't performed, so the expectation is on you to perform immediately."It's a lot of fun to take on the new ball. I have really enjoyed the challenge of what it presents. Hopefully I can turn one of my 50s into a bigger one."
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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