1972–73 season and was replaced by Watkins. However, in four Sheffield Shield matches he took only six wickets. The six wickets were taken in the one game, against Victoria, where his scalps included Graham Yallop. It was Watkins' 6 for 38 to bowl Northern New South Wales to victory against the touring Pakistan side that led the national selectors to choose him as the only spinner for the Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground a month later, after only five first-class matches in which he had taken 10 wickets at 39.00. (By contrast, in his four matches for Northern New South Wales against touring teams he had taken 24 wickets at 21.35.) Ashley Mallett had withdrawn from the side for business reasons and the selectors had elected to take three leg spinners on the tour to the West Indies: Watkins, Terry Jenner and Kerry O'Keeffe. Watkins bowled poorly in his next game, for NSW against Victoria. Test match Prior to his Test debut Rohan Rivett wrote that: There will be a lot of sympathy for Watkins when he takes the field tomorrow. His selection was not 24-hours-old when it was fiercely assailed by a former Australian Test captain who advocated eleventh hour reconsideration by the Test selectors. Happily, Messrs Harvey, Loxton and Ridings know their own minds and stuck to their decision so Watkins will have his big chance tomorrow against an array of experienced batsmen of the highest class, who have been playing good spin bowling since they left school. Those who watched Watkins' performance at the MCG for NSW against Victoria at Christmas do not agree with the pundits who have criticised his selection. Very simply, we have no Maileys, no Grimmetts, no O'Reillys. Our best spinner is Ashley Mallett, who cannot go to the Caribbean and is therefore omitted tomorrow. Watkins is, at least, as well worth a punt as anyone else and would be amazed if the selectors confine him to the 12th man role. In the Test Watkins bowled inaccurately and took no wickets in his one brief spell. He later recalled: That bad bowling on that Sunday, that's the only regret I have in cricket, and I'm sorry I can't have it over again, because knowing what I could do, in my opinion, that's what hurts most of all [that I didn't get a chance to atone]. Sometimes it haunts me, but anyway,