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Watson primed for all-round performance

Shane Watson writes about his current role in the team ahead of the important second Test against the West Indies

We had a fantastic win in Dominica last week and it was great for all the guys to have a few days off before arriving here in Kingston for the second Test.

It was terrific to see Adam Voges make such an important century on debut and in the end that was probably the difference between the two sides.

A few of us also really enjoyed the chance to go to Trafalgar Falls before leaving Dominica for Jamaica.

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There has been a lot of talk about the possible make-up of the XI for the last Test in this series, especially with Bucky unfortunately missing out again due to concussion.

I batted at No.6 in the first Test and while I've spent a lot of time at the top of the order during my career, batting down the order was far from a new experience for me.

I batted down the order a lot when I first started playing Test cricket - I even batted at No.7 behind Adam Gilchrist early in my career.

I know where things are at in this point in time.

I certainly haven't scored enough runs batting in the top order over the last little while so I'm just incredibly lucky and excited to be in and around the team during such an important time for Australian cricket.

I'm happy to bat anywhere and just adapt my game accordingly. I feel I can handle whatever role the team needs me to play.

Obviously, batting at No.6 is a very different challenge to batting in the top three.

Batting lower down means the situation has already been mapped out for me so I can adjust to the situation, whereas batting in the top order you're hopefully setting the scene so your team doesn't get into a bad situation.

But I think part of my experience and my skill set is an ability to handle either situation.

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If we're in a bit of trouble I've got the game to get us out of that, but if we're absolutely flying then I can really try to take the game on as well.

Most importantly, I need to score runs in whatever situation I found myself in to make sure I contribute well to the team.

In any case, batting is just one part of my game. I see myself as a genuine allrounder who is both a specialist batsman and a specialist bowler and I love being able to contribute with both skills.

I've found that sometimes good form with one skill can have a positive impact on the other, but it often just comes down to it all coming together on the day. Sometimes I've bowled really well but my batting hasn't been up to scratch, and vice versa.

The ultimate is both skills coming together in the same match, which is something everyone would love to replicate all the time.

The good thing is I'm hitting the ball really well so I know a big score in Test cricket isn't far away.

The way I batted in the back end of the Indian Premier League, I haven't batted as well as that for a long time.

I'm excited to get into this Test match starting on Thursday.

Player Profile: Shane Watson