Australia’s Shane Watson pulls out of Tri-Series match against England

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/22/australia-shane-watson-injured-england-hobart

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Australia will be without seven of their World Cup squad for Friday’s Tri-Series meeting with England in Hobart, after the all-rounder Shane Watson joined the list of absentees.

Watson felt tightness in his hamstring after bowling in the nets at the Bellerive Oval and with the World Cup around the corner, Australia are taking no risks with the 33-year-old.

The chairman of selectors, Rod Marsh, flew to Hobart on Thursday afternoon for an impromptu meeting and later announced that Moises Henriques would replace Watson. Henriques had been due to captain Sydney Sixers in their Big Bash derby against Sydney Thunder but instead boarded a flight to Tasmania, where he will win his sixth one-day cap.

Related: Australia’s Steve Smith in the groove to undermine England ambition

Australia were already well short of full strength for the match, with Michael Clarke, the regular captain, battling to be fit for the World Cup, his deputy, George Bailey, banned for maintaining slow over-rates, Mitchell Johnson absent for personal reasons, Josh Hazlewood rested and David Warner and Mitch Marsh both short of fitness.

Steve Smith, who will captain the one-day side for the first time following his successful promotion in the Test arena, explained: “Watto is a bit tight in the hamstring. He bowled this morning, I think he’s just a little bit tight.

“I don’t think it’s anything too major, it’s more of a precautionary measure to make sure he’s right for the World Cup.”

Marsh, meanwhile, welcomed the Portugal-born Henriques back into the fold. “Moises is one of our leading all-rounders, he has international experience, and in Shane Watson’s enforced absence it made perfect sense to draft him in for this match,” said Marsh.

“The intention is to release Moises, along with Cameron White and Shaun Marsh, after the match as it is our expectation that we will have George Bailey, Mitchell Marsh and David Warner available for selection for our match in Sydney on Monday.” Australia face India at the SCG.

Smith’s rise to the one-day captaincy, albeit temporarily, caps a golden period for the 24-year-old. He enjoyed a prolific Australian summer with the bat, scoring centuries in all four Tests against India, and underlined his status as Clarke’s heir apparent by taking the reins for the final three games of an emphatic series success.

His biggest challenge of all, though, could be speeding Australia up in the field. A tendency to bowl their overs slowly is the reason Bailey is banned from his home state fixture and Smith will be expected to change that.

“It’s obviously very disappointing for George not to be here,” he said. “That’s not what we’re about with our over rates being down, so Boof [the coach, Darren Lehmann] gave us a pretty big rocket after the last game, and it’s something that we’re going to have to improve on.

“We’ve probably been a little bit slow between overs, dawdling I guess, and for us it’s about getting through those overs quickly.”

Meanwhile, following Andrew Flintoff’s brief return in Brisbane, England enlisted the help of another familiar face in Hobart.

The Yorkshire bowler Tim Bresnan has been in the Tasmanian capital playing for the Big Bash franchise Hobart Hurricanes and was invited to link up with the World Cup squad at their latest training session.

The 29-year-old, who last played for England last March during the World Twenty20, was on hand to take part in fielding drills and send down a few overs of bustling medium-pace in the nets.

Bresnan may also have been able to pass on some local knowledge about the Bellerive Oval pitch, just as Flintoff was invited to do when England played at the Gabba – home of the all-rounder’s Brisbane Heat side.

But while Flintoff is well and truly part of England’s past, Bresnan still harbours hopes of a recall. An experienced player in all three formats, Bresnan has fallen down the pecking order since undergoing surgery on an elbow injury.

But with a packed 2015 schedule only just beginning, he will have been hopeful of making an impression on the head coach, Peter Moores, who has yet to select him since returning to the job.