Still smiling ... an injured Shane Watson sits in the dressing rooms. Source: Darren England / News Limited
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Australian cricket is holding its collective breath with Shane Watson undergoing scans on another calf injury six days out from the first Test.
In a worrying scare which could have major ramifications, a downcast Watson trudged off Allan Border Field on Saturday after bowling just six balls in his only first-class match for six months.
He twinged the same left calf which forced him home from Australia's one-day tour of England in July and immediately spoke at length with Test captain Michael Clarke at the end of his solitary over.
Watson also missed the entire 2011-12 domestic summer with hamstring and calf strains and only returned to the Test team for the April tour of West Indies.
The star all-rounder played down the injury as he raced off for scans midway through the afternoon but remains in doubt for Friday's first Test start at the Gabba considering his long injury history.
Watson is without doubt Australia's most valuable player as well as their most difficult to replace - highlighted by Cricket Australia (CA) cutting short his involvement in last month's Champions League Twenty20 as a precaution.
On top of being their best top-order batsman, the 31-year-old brings great balance to the Test XI with his medium-pace bowling which averages 29 runs per wicket.
There is no obvious replacement waiting in the wings and Test selectors must choose whether they want a specialist batsman or an all-rounder.
Considering his position at No.3 in an inconsistent batting order, the national panel would more likely want to shore up the top order.
Victorian Rob Quiney (85) and Tasmania's Alex Doolan (161 not out) have continued their good domestic form for Australia A against the Proteas at the SCG, while Phil Hughes remains on the radar after a positive switch to South Australia and another former Test left-hander, Usman Khawaja, gritted out 54 against NSW in tough conditions.
In-form South Australia star Dan Christian looms as a back-up if the Test selectors want to replace Watson with another all-rounder.
The latest drama comes after Ricky Ponting was withdrawn from Tasmania's clash against South Australia due to hamstring soreness and all members of the Australia top order suffered failures in this round of Shield matches.
CA chief executive James Sutherland strongly defended the plan to give Test players Shield exposure before the three-Test series with the world's leading nation.
"I think it's absolutely right for them to be getting four-day conditioning," Sutherland told ABC radio.
"(Watson) hasn't had any four-day cricket for a long time so it's very important that he had something coming into (the Gabba Test).
"We actually took the effort and sacrificed him out of the Champions League recently in order to come back and prepare for Test cricket."
But questions are being asked whether CA should be protecting players like Watson and young tearaway Pat Cummins, ruled out of the Test summer on Friday due to back stress fractures, by playing them less in Twenty20 tournaments.
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