MacGill fears knee injury will affect Ashes preparations

Sydney, Sep 13 (UNI) Aussie leg-spinner Stuart MacGill is worried that the knee injury he sustained at coach John Buchanan-inspired boot camp will hinder his Ashes preparations ''I'm going to have things go wrong with me this summer, that's for sure. I don't really need to go into a season already carrying something that was probably avoidable,'' MacGill told Sydney Morning Herald.

''The camp was designed with certain objectives in mind and I'd say those objectives were achieved. I just think we probably could have achieved those goals in a different format.'' MacGill, who was left out of the Australia squad for the ongoing tri-series in Kuala Lumpur due to the injury, is aware that this summer could become the most important of his career as Australia attempt to wrest back the urn from England in what may be his last major Test series.

The 35-years-old New South Wales player, who has taken 39 wickets in six Tests against England, hopes the injury will not impede his preparations.

''Unfortunately the timing has not been great. I am going to ease my way into things and my intention is to be bowling at my peak and being ready to go when the NSW season starts in four or five weeks,'' he said of the resumption of training at his club.

''I'm going to have to take it a little bit slower than I had hoped to at this point. Now is not a time for me to be stepping out of the game because I'm sore. If I'm ever omitted from the team and a second spinner is picked, I want it to be because they are better than me.'' MacGill had recently recuperated from surgery to his right knee before going for the boot camp where he had reportedly stepped into a pothole and injured his left knee.

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