Cricket: Four Australia players dropped
Watson, along with James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson, was told he would not be considered for this week’s must-win match in Mohali. He later left the team hotel and flew home to be with his pregnant wife.
Coach Mickey Arthur initially suggested the decision to axe the quartet had been made after they failed to submit a presentation on how the tourists could improve on their defeats in the first two Tests, but Clarke later confirmed it was “not just about one incident”.
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Hide AdBefore he left India, all-rounder Watson told The Australian newspaper: “Any time you are suspended from a Test match, unless you have done something unbelievably wrong and, obviously, everyone knows what those rules are – I think it is very harsh.
“I have got to live with it. That is the decision they have made and I am at a stage where I have to weigh up my future with what I want to do with my cricket in general.”
Having come in for criticism from former Australia players – ex-captain Allan Border described Cricket Australia’s decision as “over the top” – Clarke later explained the foursome had been in trouble previously.