Watson asks Oz cricketers to overcome England ODI rout and focus on Ashes

Sydney: Australia’s vice captain Shane Watson has asked his fellow cricketers to start putting their England one-day disappointment behind them and focus on what lies ahead.

Speaking at the Australian camp in Darwin ahead of limited-overs clashes with Afghanistan and Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, Watson conceded the hurt of the 4-0 series defeat in England was still raw.

Keeping an eye on next year`s back-to-back Ashes campaigns, Watson said the team must use their coming contests to focus on ensuring they are vastly improved the next time they face their old rivals.

“Obviously we`re very disappointed about the result in England in the one-day series. Now`s the time to really regroup and spend the time working on the deficiencies we`ve got as individuals and within the team. It`s a great time to get that coming together,” Watson told reporters.

He said the trip to the Middle East, which features a lone ODI against Afghanistan before three ODIs and three T20s against Pakistan, was the start of a crucial period for the team.
The T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, domestic tours against South Africa and Sri Lanka and then a Test series in India follow that tour, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

After that come the back-to-back Ashes series and Watson admitted it looms as a huge 18 months.

Watson said he was well on the road to making a full recovery from the calf injury which cut short his tour of England, but he`s not planning on playing in either of the two practice matches scheduled for this week`s camp in Darwin.