Watson setback

St John’s: Australia’s Shane Watson may be out of action for up to three weeks after sustaining a minor tear in his left calf muscle in the World Cup Super Eight match against Bangladesh on Saturday.

“It’s not ‘oh my God, he’s definitely out of the tournament’,” Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. “But it’s a muscle strain halfway through the tournament so it’s obviously a bit of a concern.”

Asked if Watson would be fit for the semi-finals on April 24 and 25, Kountouris replied: “He’s likely to be.”

If Watson is unavailable for the remainder of the Super Eight, Brad Hodge, who scored a century in the first round, is likely to take his place.

ICC directive

St John’s: Officials at the new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium have been ordered to implement substantial improvements to the mopping-up operation after an ICC report criticised practices that contributed to the Australia-Bangladesh match being reduced to a 22-over affair. The groundstaff had decided not to borrow extra water-removal machines despite heavy rain on Friday, and drying work a day later was delayed because the only machine available broke down twice.Work was also delayed because groundstaff had taken a lunch break.