Watson says does not want to risk re-injury by premature bowling return

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has admitted he does not want to risk injury again by returning to bowling prematurely

Watson, who is recovering from a minor hamstring strain he sustained during the one-day series in India, will stick to batting and it is highly doubtful he will bowl before the first Test starts next Thursday.

According to The Age, Watson has returned to running under the close watch of physiotherapist Alex Kountouris and coach Darren Lehmann at Brisbane's Allan Border Field and the adjacent new 29 million-dollar National Cricket Centre.

Watson, who will bat alongside Michael Clarke, and fast bowlers Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson will also begin their preparations for the Gabba Test, hopes to bat and bowl in the first Test but does not want to risk further injury.

According to Watson, his fitness depends on pushing a limit to make sure that he is ready to go as a batsman and maybe a bowler, although he does not want to risk re-injuring his hamstring as it would put him out for batting as well.

The report mentioned that two summers ago, Watson was trying to overcome a hamstring strain to take his place in the Boxing Day Test against India, only to suffer an injury to his calf and miss the rest of that series.