'Before, I was hoping to be good enough'

Shane Watson plays his second Test for Australia today after displaying the all-round promise that he hopes will make him Australia's Andrew Flintoff. Two Man-of-the-Match performances in the Super Series showed his stunning development over the winter, which included a bits-and-pieces role in the ODI campaign in England and a stint at Hampshire. As he prepared for the Super Test, he spoke to Cricinfo.

In the lead-up to the Super Series, you said you wanted to be like Andrew Flintoff. What do you need to work on to reach his level?
Everything really, but I've got another four years till I reach his age. Obviously, he's a totally world-class player with the bat or the ball. I've improved over the last two years and I feel like I'll be able to get to his standard. I've improved a helluva lot over the past four months, which comes down to playing a lot of cricket, knowing what I want to develop and having the resources around me. Bruce Reid, the bowling coach for Hampshire, was really great to have around so I could work on my bowling and a few technical things.

Until you returned from the back injury that ruled you out of the World Cup, you weren't a really quick bowler. How are you coping with the demands?
It was more getting my body used to it than anything. Your body has to get accustomed to bowling 14 to 20 overs a day - before that, I'd bowl about ten overs and pull up really stiff. Because I've been bowling consistently for three or four months, I don't pull up stiff and now know how to look after my body. The two times I had stress fractures in my back, I knew I'd be sore after bowling.

You made 66 from 66 balls in the third ODI last week. How happy were you to get an opportunity to play a long innings?
It's funny, I've been doing that for the last two or three years with the bat, but I've never been able to show it for Australia. That's about the first time I batted for a long period, usually I'd come in at about the 40th over at the earliest. This time I had 22 overs to set up the innings, that's the way I've been used to batting at the top of the order with Queensland and Tasmania. It was nice to show the Australian public how well I can actually bat.

How did it feel winning two Man-of-the-Match awards in such incredible company?
After the first one, I hardly slept because I couldn't believe it in a game that had all those superstars. The second one was just crazy, it still blows my mind that I feel part of it now. Before, I was hoping to be good enough, but probably didn't feel part of the make-up of a world-class side. It's really given me the confidence to know what it takes to perform consistently at an international level.

Everyone in the team seemed so much more energetic and excited in Melbourne. There must be an incredible desire to get back to a sustained standard.
Absolutely. It was the thing that we sat down and talked about in the lead-up to the one-day series. One of the things we talked about was to have fun at training and to be competing at training - that's when you get the best out of yourself. We wanted to make sure we put in at training to have fun and it showed in us playing amazing one-day cricket.

What is your role at Test level?
So far, it's been more as a bowler. Trevor Hohns said I wasn't in the Ashes squad initially because my bowling wasn't up to international standard. The window of opportunity to get in the Test side was to improve my bowling, as well as having the option of my batting. My opportunities for Australia have been with the ball and, mentally, I'm just a bit more confident with the ball for Australia.

Do you feel you're a bowling allrounder at international level and a batting allrounder at state level?
I suppose so, it's weird. My goal is to be a genuine allrounder. I'm really moving towards that so I can make the side as both a batsman and a bowler. Leading to this point, where my bowling has improved, I've always seen myself as a batting allrounder because I've always been able to bat. With my bowling, I'd be injured for a bit, bowl for a bit, so there hasn't been the gradual progression.

What's it like trading roles from top-order state batsman to an international No. 6 or 7?
It's definitely taken a while for me to get used to. When I first came into the one-day team, I didn't have the skills to bat down there, but I developed my game and my technique and I now feel I have what it takes to fill a role at six or seven. I can't go in and blaze away like Andrew Symonds and hit massive sixes. My strengths are to put the balls in the gaps and develop my innings, whether there's five overs to go or not. I've been able to find my feet.

You made your Test debut against Pakistan at the SCG in January, but the opposition will be much tougher this time. How do you approach the step up in standard?
I'm really excited at the prospect of playing because I know I've improved so much since my debut. It's ten months ago and the amount I've improved, mentally and technically, is amazing. I'm in a lot more control of my game and playing against the world's best at such a young stage of my career is really exciting.