Watson ruled out of one-day series

Shane Watson is in danger of missing the entire New Zealand tour after straining his left side during the second VB Series final against Pakistan on Sunday. After a scan in Melbourne yesterday, Watson expected the injury to take between three and six weeks to heal.

"It's very disappointing because I was just starting to get things going," Watson, who bowled 3.5 overs before leaving the SCG, told the Courier-Mail. "I knew I would be out for a while when I did it and I have my fingers crossed that I can recover as quickly as possible."

Watson, who made his Test debut against Pakistan in January and played five VB Series matches, is not the only worry for the five game one-day series, which starts at Wellington on February 19. Andrew Symonds strained his Achilles tendon in making 91 in the first final and missed the second match, but was cleared today. The Australia selectors name the 14-man one-day squad on Thursday and Darren Lehmann and Matthew Hayden could have their longand short-term limited-overs futures sealed by the announcement.