Watson out 'until semi-finals'
Symonds return gives Australia options with their all-rounders
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Monday, 02, Apr 2007 05:46
Australia will be without all-rounder Shane Watson for at least three weeks after picking up an injury during Australia's ten-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Saturday.
Watson suffered a calf-muscle tear during the Super Eight match and had to limp off the field, unable to complete his second over. The injury is the latest in a series of disappointments for Watson who missed the entire recent Ashes series due to a hamstring injury.
Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris claimed yesterday that 25-year-old would be rested for the remainder of the week and faces as long three weeks on the sidelines, meaning the semi-finals taking place on April 24th and 25th may yet be a possibility.
"It's a muscle strain halfway through the tournament so it's obviously a bit of a concern," Kountouris said.
"There's another month to go in the tournament so I've got to speak to the selectors and the coach and the captain and see what we want to do with him and when the ideal return date is.
"You treat everyone individually. He had a history of that hamstring strain this summer which probably didn't go that well. We'll use all that information and be as cautious as we possibly can."
Australia face England next on Sunday and the selectors may recall batsman Brad Hodge, who made a century during Australia's second group game against the Netherlands on March 18th, before making way for the returning Andrew Symonds.