Shane Watson is sad that Kevin Pietersen is not playing international cricket anymore and wants someone like Australian coach Darren Lehmann to guide the maverick England batsman.
“For me, it’s sad that Kevin Pietersen is not playing international cricket. He has always been one of my favourite players as he could take the game away anytime. I loved watching him bat in the way he took on bowlers in all forms of the game. But things now might just change with new coach. It’s a loss for the tournament (World T20) that Kevin would not be there,” Watson said.
“Hope things work out for England as Kevin is an incredible player. Certainly they will miss his cricketing abilities and they need someone to help Kevin. To guide him in the right direction just like Darren Lehmann guided this current Australian team. Lehmann pointed the ship in the right direction and everyone was on board.
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“Great coaches are those who were not only great cricketers but also those who get the respect when he walks in. Someone who does things for right reasons. My experience of playing with Kevin in Hampshire is that he is a good guy,” Watson said.
Watson said the current Australian team is enjoying its time both on and off the field.
“We are certainly enjoying our time on and off the field. There were certain specifics that Darren wanted us to work on. He has an amazing knowledge about the game and knows also how to help players as well. The day Darren took over the environment changed immediately. He certainly made sure we were enjoying ourselves. He knew families were integral part to us individually but also as group,” he said.
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Watson didn’t hesitate in saying that the team had its insecurities during the earlier regime as the fear of failure had crept in.
“When everyone is worried about failing rather than concentrating on performing, it becomes different. When you have got a negative mindset, the best result (one expects) is not failing. But when you go with a mindset of just perform with freedom and back your own skill, the best result is having a great day.
“That’s what exactly happened during last Ashes. Everyone had the time of their lives. We did play extremely well apart from couple of sessions. We realised that it’s about playing cricket in general, which is important. We should not be too worried about failing.”