Punishment doesn't fit the crime: Shane Watson

Sacked all-rounder Shane Watson today said that it was "wrong" on his part not to submit the presentation to the coach but the "harsh" punishment for such a protocol breach was hard to accept.

"I accept that I did the wrong thing with what I did, but I will always find it very hard to accept being suspended from a Test match for my country," Watson told the reporters at the airport after an 18-hour long journey from India.

Watson and three of his colleagues -- pacemen James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson, and batsman Usman Khawaja – were yesterday axed from the team for the third Test for ignoring a team management order.

The four players were dropped for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team's performance after the innings and 135 runs defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad.

"I, with a few other guys, took it as leading into the Test match and I got that extremely wrong, which meant that it's cost me a Test match. They (the leadership group) obviously thought that was the right decision for the team at this point in time," he said.

Watson said that missing a Test match on disciplinary grounds has devastated him.

"I've missed Test matches and games through injury throughout my career. I feel like I've worked my absolute bum off to have an opportunity to represent my country. When that's taken away from you, you think the actions must be very severe. That's where we differ on our opinions.

"I think it's extremely harsh. I expressed my extreme disappointment with the punishment. But everything happens for a reason in your life," said the 31-year-old New South Wales all-rounder.

Watson said that everything was fine as far as his relationship with skipper Michael Clarke was concerned.

... contd.

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