Shane Watson: "I love being able to take on the new ball" © AFP Enlarge
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Shane Watson has said he is not in doubt for next month's World Twenty20 despite a groin injury ruling him out of the final two weeks of the IPL. Watson was one of three players Cricket Australia prevented from attending the tournament in South Africa on medical grounds and he arrived home with the limited-overs squad on Saturday.

Watson, who was hurt in Thursday's Twenty20 loss to Pakistan, said his groin strain was minor and he would be fit for the start of the global tournament in England. "The medical staff at Cricket Australia thought it was better for me to come home and get over it with probably a week or two's rest instead of flying over to South Africa," he told AAP. "We've got three weeks or so before the first practice match, so it should be plenty of time to get it right."

The final game of the Pakistan series was meant to allow Watson's return to bowling following back stress fractures, but the latest setback prevented him from marking his run. "The last three weeks have been a big build up to my bowling so not to bowl was very disappointing," Watson said. "I'm still so excited about improvements there are going to be in my bowling with little technical changes that I've made. I can't wait to be able to get out there in the next couple of weeks."

After making a success of opening in the one-day team - he led the run-list in the five-match series with 271 at 90.33 - Watson wants to stay at the top of the order. "I love being able to take on the new ball, there's a few more gaps when you're batting," he said. "But also being able to take on the best fast bowlers in the world with a brand-new ball is always a great challenge."