Ian Chappell believes Shane Watson should cement his place at No 3

Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell believes that swashbuckling all-rounder Shane Watson should better cement his place at number three following a downward trend in his batting average.

According to Chappell, Watson's failure to convert starts was not acceptable at number three as he was expected to take charge and dominate at times. He stated that the reason Watson was struggling stemmed from his attempt to overcome an lbw fallibility, News.com.au reported.

Watson, who was lbw six times in 14 innings in 2013, scored his last first innings century in 2013 at The Oval.

Chappell further said that if there had been viable alternatives, Watson would either have found himself batting elsewhere or out of the team, the report added.