Watson unwilling to make changes to winning Oz team

Sydney, Mar 17(ANI): Australian captain Shane Watson has said he would like to stick with the current crop of players available to him for the one-day series against West Indies.

This would mean that fast bowlers James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus who were ruled out of the first one-day, would find it difficult to make a comeback in the playing eleven.

Australian team hardly missed both of them as spinner Xavier Doherty took 4-49 while Clint McKay and Dan Christian snared two wickets each, as the home team was rolled for just 140 chasing Australia's 8-204.

Watson claimed that it would be tough for him to change the winning formula, and would like to carry on with this team only for Sunday's second match at the same venue, particularly with runs at a premium at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground.

"It's going to be tough to change a winning team but I suppose it's shown on this wicket as well that ... batting depth is going to be pretty important," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Watson, as saying.

"I think having that batting depth is going to give us that extra edge when we need it because we know through those middle periods it's going to be pretty difficult to score, especially with the quality of their spin bowlers," he added. (ANI)