Watson may bat at No.6 in first Test against Proteas

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson may reportedly move down the batting order to No 6 with his teammate Alex Doolan set to take his place at first drop in the first Test against South Africa, starting at Centurion on Wednesday.

No tour is complete without a Watson injury scare but the latest appears minor, with the team doctor Peter Brukner saying he has calf tightness and he was also not due to bowl at the Wanderers overnight in the intra-squad match, which last night looked like being played under overcast skies.

According to News.com.au, although captain Michael Clarke indicated before leaving for South Africa that he did not want to change the batting order, however, there appears to have been a shift in thinking since even though coach Darren Lehmann and Brukner expects Watson to bowl before the first Test.

The report mentioned that Watson was hampered by a recurring calf injury in 2012-13 and missed the final Test of the summer against Sri Lanka at the SCG although he played all ten matches in the back-to-back Ashes series, overcoming hamstring and groin niggles to take part in the Brisbane and Sydney Tests respectively.