Watson liberated by return to bowling

Shane Watson has threatened to be back to his all-round best when Australia take on South Africa in their upcoming series. Watson did not bowl during New South Wales' Champions League campaign following a Cricket Australia directive, but will go all out with both bat and ball against South Africa.

"After the amount of bowling I did in Sri Lanka, they [the medical staff] thought it would be a good time to just take my bowling workload down a little, but heading into this big series I will be good to go," Watson said.

Watson hopes his return to bowling will have also have a spin-off effect on his batting, after managing only 75 runs in five knocks at the Champions League. "I wasn't bowling and I wasn't scoring a run," he said. "The thing that I love about being an allrounder is that if something is not going exactly as you want it to, you can still make a big contribution to the team's performance.

"I was frustrated throughout the Champions League and it really enforced the reason I love being an allrounder. You don't always have a good game, and if you have two opportunities to have a good game it puts your mind at rest a little."

His bowling may turn out to have an important part to play in the series, with Australia missing the experience of Brett Lee, who was ruled out of the series with appendicitis. Watson termed Lee's absence a "big loss" but said it could provide an opportunity to introduce someone new, like the 18-year old Pat Cummins, who has grabbed attention with his pace in the shortest format.

Having watched him bowl for NSW, Watson has first-hand insights into what Cummins can offer. "He is a very rare talent at such a young age," Watson said. "To be able to bowl with the skill and with the pace that he does is special. Pat is a very impressive young guy for an 18-year-old. I know what I was like at 18 and I was still getting a hang of myself. He is a very intelligent, switched on young guy and quite humble."

Australia are yet to name a replacement for Lee, in both the Twenty20 and ODI squads, which means that Cummins is certain to get an opportunity. When he does, Watson believes he will surprise people with his pace. "As soon as he goes out in the ground and runs in and tries to bowl, and bowls fast, I suppose everybody will see how mature a head he has," he said. "They will see his skill and talent which is as impressive as I have seen in any young guy coming through for the last 10 years."

The South Africa tour will continue Australia's rebuilding phase after their forgettable home summer, and the disappointing World Cup. "We are still trying to continue our growth after some disappointing performances in the Ashes and the World Cup," Watson said. "We saw some really good signs throughout the Sri Lanka tour. There's no doubt that South Africa are in a similar place."

Both countries have had to cope with recent change and there is some fear that the rivalry between them may not be as intense, especially in the T20s, which senior players from both camps will sit out. "In a way it's a bit disappointing," Watson said. For example, Jacques Kallis is one of the most consistent T20 batsmen in the world. We've got Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey who aren't playing in our team. It definitely changes the dynamics of our team and I'm sure it does for South Africa as well. I'm sure for their longevity, that's what they see as the best way to be able to continue to play one-day and Test cricket for as long as they can."

Watson himself knows the importance of staying fit. After battling numerous injuries for many years, he has finally found a formula that works for him and he is relishing every moment. "I am loving the opportunity to play as much as I can because I had probably about six years where I didn't really play that much, not continuously anyway," he said. "So now I am trying to make the most of every game that I can play because I missed out on a lot. I'm just loving every opportunity I get to play because I know how quickly it can get taken away."