BRISBANE: Winning the 2015 World Cup “would certainly be a greater achievement” than the 2007 victory, says Australian all-rounder Shane Watson.

Watson, 33, who is a key part of the current Australian set-up, said win in the upcoming World Cup would be more satisfying as he feels he has more responsibility now, than he had back in 2007.

“You always dream about playing in a World Cup, let alone one in your own home — it would be incredible. This campaign, I’m going to be hopefully a lot more involved playing-wise, batting-wise and bowling-wise, and also leadership-wise in and aro­u­nd the group,” Watson said.

“So, it would certainly be a greater achievement [than winning in 2007] I think, because I’m more of a senior compared to being just a young buck in there just doing my thing with all the legends around me. The quality of players we had in that 2007 team is mind-blowing — I was a young guy in there to just provide a little bit of a role.”

Watson has been out of international cricket since August with multiple injuries. First, he was ruled out of the Zimbabwe tri-series due to an ankle injury and while recovering from it, he injured his calf muscle, forcing him to miss the Pakistan series.

However, the all-rounder has regained full fitness and returned to cric­ket on Friday, playing for NSW in the Matador One-Day Cup.

He has now been named in Australia’s ODI squad that will host South Africa. “I’m extremely excited. Hopefully, everything pans out form-wise, fitness-wise, so I can be involved, because it is incredible to think that it’s come along in my career time.”

Watson added being part of the World Cup winning side in 2007, alongside the likes of Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath, taught him a lot.

“It was an absolute privilege to be in and around those teams, and that calibre of players ... and absorb everything in front of me,” Watson said. “I was a 20-year-old coming in and around this incredible team, and I’d judge myself against these players. I was very much a perfectionist, and I used to get down on myself because I could see the gap between myself and these legends,” he added.

“But the great thing was, I was able to see with my own eyes how the best players in the world went about developing their game, maintaining their game, maintaining themselves, and getting the balance in and around the game [right] as well,” Watson reflected.

Published in Dawn, October 30th , 2014