Shane Watson - the story of a cricketer whose potential was left unfulfilled
The 2015 Ashes series in England will go down as one where Australia not just failed to win again on English turf, but also saw the culmination of a group of cricketers which our generation has liked to hate.
Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson- four players who had played such an integral role for their country, especially in the 18 months and more until arriving in England in July, retired from the game(the first 3 altogether while the 4th only from Tests), to mark the end of another generation of cricketers from the country, that has produced so many of such quartets in the past.
Now, as the T20 side gears up for two vital encounters at the PCA Stadium against Pakistan and India, Watson has decided that at the end of the biennial event, he will retire from the lot and call time on his international career.
For a lot of us Indians, the first mention of the name Shane Watson brings back very fond and happy memories from the 2008 Indian Premier League(IPL), when he played such a pivotal role to help the Rajasthan Royals, considered as many with no hopes to win the title, lift the crown at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai
It was as though the 8-team competition had a given him a new lease of life and perhaps, it also helped him that in Shane Warne he found a captain who encouraged him to play the way he knows.
For the next two years or so, after the 2008 IPL exploits, the all-rounder was a key member of the Australian side, whose performance ebbed and flowed. He played a crucial role when Australian won the second Champions Trophy in 2009, scoring a 100 in the final while opening the batting, a slot where he did the job for Australia in Tests as well.
Injuries were a big part of Watson’s career
But for most writers of the game, the name Shane Watson also strikes to the mind the word, “injuries”, something that he suffered a lot during an almost 15-year long career. Right from the time when he had to be replaced at the last minute from the 2003 World Cup squad that went to South Africa after three stress fractures on his back, injuries always had a big say in his career and stopped him from playing a full season of cricket.
In his biography, Yuvraj Singh shares a terrific quote that Ashish Nehra once told him.He writes, “ Body main injury nahi, injury main body phasee hai (I don't have injuries on my body, my body is stuck in injuries).
It's a quote I think that Watson can also relate too. For a large part of his career, his body just failed to support him and for a guy who was Australia’s holding bowler, especially in Tests, an unrelenting body that isn't able to carry sufficient workload wasn't the ideal thing.
However, when he was fit, he did have his own share of moments. The 2012 World T20 didn't end the way as Australia had hoped it would, but it was an immensely satisfying competition for Watson, who was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his 249 runs and 11 wickets in 6 matches and it meant that there was none as valuable as him in the tournament.
He was part of all three sides for a while after that, but inconsistency with the bat thanks to a technique which was susceptible to leg-before-wicket meant that he was fighting almost every day to keep his place. He was dropped from the Australian side for the 2015 World Cup match against Afghanistan and made a comeback against Sri Lanka and had his dream fulfilled a few weeks later of winning the World Cup at home.
He was surprised when the selectors picked him for the three-match T20I series against India at the start of 2016 but responded to the recall by scoring an unbeaten 124 at Sydney.
The decision to retire from the game has been cited by him is because he feels it's the “right time for him to move away”. Steve Smith and Australia wouldn't mind if he can leave an imprint on a tournament and a format that has given many of his fans happiness and joy and who knows, had his career not been marred by regular blows to his body, maybe he could have added a few more tons and wickets to it.