Watson moves on from missed Ashes

It's been an injury-hit season for Shane Watson but he's on track for the World Cup © Getty Images

Shane Watson is confident he'll be fit for the World Cup as he tries to put the disappointment of missing the Ashes series behind him. He'd been penciled in to take the No. 6 role before breaking down ahead of the first Test at Brisbane and when he re-injured himself in a domestic one-day match he was ruled out of the series.

His place initially went to Michael Clarke and when Damien Martyn retired following the Adelaide Test Andrew Symonds was drafted in, cracking his maiden Test century at the MCG. However, Watson now wants to move on and focus on the challenges ahead.

"It's a massive opportunity missed," he told the Sunday Telegraph. "Roy's [Symonds] performances have definitely taken the opportunity away from me, but there is a changing of the guard and hopefully I will get my chance at Test level.

"If there is an opportunity I will be raring to go. The main thing is I still believe in myself. I feel a lot more comfortable in international cricket, but when you get injured you leave the door open for other people."

Watson is aiming to return to action later in January and be available for the latter part of the Commonwealth Bank Series. Australia then have a three-match Chappell-Hadlee series in New Zealand before the World Cup.

"That is my goal now, to make sure I'm right to be picked for the World Cup," Watson said. "This has been the most frustrating injury of my career. It should have been only three or four weeks but it's dragged on and on."