Watson clarified that he wanted to play cricket for Australia again and dismissed suggestions that he had a poor relationship with skipper Clarke, as Howard had suggested. Asked whether he thought his Test career was over, Watson told the Australian media: "I hope not."
Having returned to Australia in a huff earlier to be with his pregnant wife, Watson accepted responsibility for his actions but questioned the severity of the punishment.
"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 for my country," he said. "I've missed Tests 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."
On his relationship with Clarke, Watson said, "There's always ups and downs like there is in marriages, friendships. I've been playing cricket with and against Michael Clarke since I was 12. We've got a lot of history as people. We're obviously quite different people in certain ways but very, very similar in a lot of ways as well. In the end, like you do in every relationship, it goes up and down. With Pat Howard, he's only come on board the last year and a half."
Watson seemed incensed at Howard's suggestions that he was not a team man. "Go around and ask every person I've played with. That will give you the best indication of whether I am a team man or not. Pat Howard doesn't particularly know me very well. He's come from a rugby background and hasn't been in and around cricket very long."
Watson was even asked if he thought he had done something wrong by not filling up the forms on time and he said had by not doing it "at the exact time."
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