Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has said that he is hoping to resume bowling at the start of next week although he admitted that he does not want to push his hamstring too much in case it hinders his ability to bat in the first Ashes Test.
Watson, who sustained a hamstring injury in the final match of the recent one-day tour of India, came through a light training session in Brisbane on Friday without any problems and his fitness to bowl could well have ramifications for the make-up of the Australia team for the first Test at the Gabba.
According to Sport24, Watson said that as he has not had any hiccups in the progress of his injured hamstring's recovery, he hopes to be fit and fine for the first Test, although he added that his bowling depends on how much he continues to progress leading into that first Test.
Watson further said that he needs to strike the balance between pushing himself to see where he is at without risking re-injuring himself, which may also end his hopes for batting in the Test, adding that if everything continues to progress in this method, then he might start bowling at the start of the week.
However, Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto was less equivocal about Watson's chances of batting in Brisbane, saying that Watson, whom he branded a world-class batsman, was hitting the ball in the nets as well as he had in India.
If Watson is not fit to bowl, fellow all-rounder James Faulkner could retain his place in the side after making his debut in the final Test of the first Ashes series of the year, which England won 3-0, the report added.