Cricket World Cup 2015: Shane Watson says he thought his tournament was over but being dropped ‘lit something inside me’

SHANE Watson denies feeling disrespected by the Australian selection panel following his flippant axing in Perth but says it has lit a fire under him.

CRICKET - Australian cricket team training at Adelaide Oval. Shane Watson press conference. Photo Sarah Reed

SHANE Watson denies feeling disrespected by the Australian selection panel following his flippant axing in Perth.

But the fact the star all-rounder is unwilling to declare himself a certain starter for Friday’s quarter-final against Pakistan in Adelaide underlines a lingering sense of confusion and uncertainty.

Watson was under the impression his World Cup was over when he was sensationally dropped in Perth.

The unambiguous message from national selector Rod Marsh was, “you’re gone”, and although shattered, Watson was fully accepting of the decision.

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Four days later, Watson was playing at the SCG, making it abundantly clear the selection panel were split over an immense decision about the future of one of Australia’s most established names.

Now two weeks on, Australia’s 14-year veteran is still struggling to explain the bizarre events.

Teammates and coaching staff have indicated that Watson is now locked in as a middle-order batsman for the rest of the tournament, come hell or high water.

But Watson was yesterday quick to add the proviso: “If I’m playing”.

Shane Watson at Australia training in Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed

The fact is selectors — as undecided as they were — lit a rocket up Watson by taking away his World Cup dream, and it could prove a masterstroke come March 29 at the MCG.

Not that they can fully claim credit for it though, because it was made clear to Watson that his dropping was not a calculated move to send him a message — it was the real deal.

“I wasn’t expecting to play for the rest of the tournament after being dropped for the Afghanistan game,” Watson said on Tuesday in his first interview since the incident.

“Rod Marsh at that time made it very clear what their intentions were.

“It’s amazing how things can turn around even quicker than I thought they would.”

Whether it’s a healthy thing for a player of Watson’s experience to be so unsure about his place in the team is debatable.

“I found out as I got to the ground in Sydney (that I was playing Sri Lanka),” he said. “I didn’t know.”

But Watson refuses to feel slighted by his superiors and has declared his axing will be a watershed moment in his career as he looks to kick on for another couple of years.

“No, I just know I hadn’t scored enough runs, simple as that,” he said.

Shane Watson (centre) jogs at Australia training in Adelaide. Picture: Sarah Reed

“It was unbelievably disappointing that I’d been dreaming of playing in a home World Cup.

“When it sunk in I’d been dropped it really hurt, there’s no question — thinking that was going to be potentially my last chance and I had to come to the realisation of that.

“But there’s been burning desire in me since I got dropped.

“It really lit inside me something that I know is going to hold me in good stead over the next couple of years hopefully.

“Because I don’t want to be feeling like that again.”

Experts like Shane Warne and former World Cup winner Mike Hussey believe Australia has stumbled on their perfect combination by shifting Steve Smith to No.3 and Watson down to the middle.

But Watson admits this wasn’t a preconceived contingency plan.

“It was only in the lead-up to the Sri Lankan game. It wasn’t something I’d thought about at all,” he said.

“My goal was to bat well at No.3, I knew how important that role was.”