AFTER having his World Cup dreams shattered just five days ago, Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty may well be Australia's No. 1 and only specialist tweaker as it tries to win its fourth consecutive one-day crown.
Doherty was not even watching the Australia-England one-dayer at Bellerive on Friday night when his replacement Nathan Hauritz went down with a dislocated shoulder.
Instead he was at the movies watching The Fighter.
But in the middle of the film, Doherty's phone started to go nuts. Friends, family and teammates were texting him to tell him his World Cup hopes had just got up off the canvas.
Doherty, cut from Australia's 15-man squad on Tuesday, just two days after helping Australia win the opening one-day international against England, has been reinstated to the national team for the next two games.
Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Hauritz was most likely out of the remaining one-day series against England, but was waiting for a specialist opinion before deciding whether his World Cup campaign was over.
But Doherty, 28, was not thinking of next month's World Cup on the sub-continent just yet.
"Any opportunity to play is an opportunity to grab whether there is a World Cup coming up or not," Doherty said.
"There is probably that little bit of added pressure that normally wouldn't be there.
"But it is a chance to play for my country, which is still something I treasure and look forward to hopefully doing quite well at."
It has been an emotional rollercoaster season for Doherty, who has made his one-day international debut and taken four wickets in the game, played in the opening two Ashes Tests, got axed from the Tests, played in the first ODI against England, got cut from the remaining home ODIs and the World Cup squad and has now been recalled for the next two games at least.
"When I sit back, and even with the disappointment from earlier in the week, the season has been pretty good," he said.
"It has probably not been [mentally] draining, you've just got to take a few moments to sit back and think about where you are at.
"Obviously going up and down, just not this week but in and out of the Test squad and out of the other teams as well, sometimes you find it hard to know where you sit.
"At the moment it is pretty clear that I've got a chance for two games and I'm keen to make the most of it."
But Hauritz is not the only injury concern for Australia out of Friday's game. Paceman Shaun Tait left the ground with thigh soreness. Scans have cleared him of any damage but it is far from an ideal preparation ahead of the glamour one-day tournament.
Former swing king Damien Fleming said the injuries put more pressure on veteran Brett Lee to spearhead the attack.
"If he doesn't bowl at his best we'll be lacking a senior leader," said Fleming. "It would be nice to put him down as the spearhead and senior player who can mentor the younger guys."
Doherty was not even watching the Australia-England one-dayer at Bellerive on Friday night when his replacement Nathan Hauritz went down with a dislocated shoulder.
Instead he was at the movies watching The Fighter.
But in the middle of the film, Doherty's phone started to go nuts. Friends, family and teammates were texting him to tell him his World Cup hopes had just got up off the canvas.
Doherty, cut from Australia's 15-man squad on Tuesday, just two days after helping Australia win the opening one-day international against England, has been reinstated to the national team for the next two games.
Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Hauritz was most likely out of the remaining one-day series against England, but was waiting for a specialist opinion before deciding whether his World Cup campaign was over.
But Doherty, 28, was not thinking of next month's World Cup on the sub-continent just yet.
"Any opportunity to play is an opportunity to grab whether there is a World Cup coming up or not," Doherty said.
"There is probably that little bit of added pressure that normally wouldn't be there.
"But it is a chance to play for my country, which is still something I treasure and look forward to hopefully doing quite well at."
It has been an emotional rollercoaster season for Doherty, who has made his one-day international debut and taken four wickets in the game, played in the opening two Ashes Tests, got axed from the Tests, played in the first ODI against England, got cut from the remaining home ODIs and the World Cup squad and has now been recalled for the next two games at least.
"When I sit back, and even with the disappointment from earlier in the week, the season has been pretty good," he said.
"It has probably not been [mentally] draining, you've just got to take a few moments to sit back and think about where you are at.
"Obviously going up and down, just not this week but in and out of the Test squad and out of the other teams as well, sometimes you find it hard to know where you sit.
"At the moment it is pretty clear that I've got a chance for two games and I'm keen to make the most of it."
But Hauritz is not the only injury concern for Australia out of Friday's game. Paceman Shaun Tait left the ground with thigh soreness. Scans have cleared him of any damage but it is far from an ideal preparation ahead of the glamour one-day tournament.
Former swing king Damien Fleming said the injuries put more pressure on veteran Brett Lee to spearhead the attack.
"If he doesn't bowl at his best we'll be lacking a senior leader," said Fleming. "It would be nice to put him down as the spearhead and senior player who can mentor the younger guys."
