Tasmania disappointed with Sunshine Watson

A week after announcing his intention to follow the sun back home to Queensland, Shane Watson says Tasmanian officials are disappointed but will not attempt to stop him leaving the state.

Watson yesterday handed the required paperwork to Cricket Australia and the Tasmania Cricket Association. "They were disappointed but gave me their blessings," Watson revealed.

Any misgivings among long-suffering Tasmanian cricket followers are not surprising. Watson, a powerful 22-year-old allrounder, was awarded the vice-captaincy last summer and plundered 983 first-class runs at 52.

He has made no secret that Tasmania's fickle climate is a prime motivation behind his desire to leave. Although TCA board members have yet to discuss the move, he is confident there will be no hitch.

"They totally understood, I suppose, that they can't change the climate, the lifestyle - and also they can't change relocating my family down to Hobart," he said.

Watson also repeated his claim that he had no qualms whatsoever about touring Zimbabwe later this month, despite team-mate Darren Lehmann's concession that there is "a concern about the whole scenario" among the Australian players.