Watson excited over unexpected recall

MELBOURNE: Shane Watson didn't see it coming. Stationed in Johannesburg with the Rajasthan Royals, the Australian all-rounder was caught completely off-guard when Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's operations manager, phoned on Wednesday to inform him of his recall to the national squad for the one-day tour of Pakistan.

Watson had identified the IPL as the platform from which to continue his comeback from back stress fractures. From there, he hoped to steadily increase his bowling workload throughout April and May and, should all have gone to plan, to catch the attention of Australia's selectors ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in June.

The selectors, however, have opted for a faster track. Chosen as a specialist batsman, Watson will almost certainly be restored to the top of the Australian one-day order - the position he held down throughout last year's West Indies tour - alongside the recalled Shaun Marsh in the UAE. That has resulted in a major alteration to Watson's comeback blueprint, and his immediate travel schedule.

"I wasn't counting on it at all," Watson told Cricinfo. "I only arrived in South Africa on Monday night, and was looking ahead to the couple of practice games coming up for Rajasthan in the next few days.

"Now it looks like I'll probably only be here for a week or so before I fly to Dubai.

"Things have moved faster than I expected. I have spoken with the owner and the coach (of Rajasthan) and they are disappointed that I won't be available for them for a while, but very excited for me.

"They know that to get back into the Australian side and play international cricket is my ultimate objective. I will still be available for two weeks after returning from Dubai. Hopefully Rajasthan can make it through to the finals, so I can extend my time with them for as long as I can."

Just what role, if any, Watson's bowling will play in the UAE remains unclear. His initial plan was to commence competitive bowling in May, and then only in the four-over allotments of the IPL.

Watson will meet with Alex Kountouris, the Australian team physiotherapist, in South Africa in the coming days to map out new strategy, but it seems unlikely he will be used in longer spells against Pakistan.

"That structure and schedule I had in mind is obviously going to change a bit now in terms of my bowling," he said.

"I certainly won't be pushing it in trying to get to ten overs. The plan was to slowly build up the bowling over May, but I'm not quite sure how that will work out now."