Five of Shane Watson's most terrible DRS calls
Some people retire on a high by scoring match-saving centuries or taking crucial wickets and wave goodbye to a sea of fans after a tearful speech. Some people retire quietly – They bide their time, think their options over and quietly announce a retirement. These people are hailed as the silent heroes and tributes pour in from different quarters.
Then there’s Shane Watson’s retirement.
Two weeks after the Ashes was meekly handed over to England and in the middle of an ODI series between the two sides, Watson abruptly called time on his Test career. There were no press conferences or emotional outburst. Watson walked in, announced his decision and walked out. The media looked at each other, wondering what to make of it.
Australia had already lost skipper Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers earlier and now Shane Watson has dropped out as well.
Test cricket’s enigma
Watson is only one of five Australians with a batting average of over 35 and a bowling average of under 35. He won the Allan Border medal in consecutive years along with the Australian Test player of the year. By all accounts, Watson should have been a legend. He should have shaken the world with his exploits and made a name for himself.
Plagued by injuries and poor form, Watson never realised his full potential. Something always seemed to hold him back, and he often looked afraid to exert himself and cause injury. Though he looked ready to take on the world, Watson often came across as brittle and hesitant, and his refusal to adjust his technique caused his eventual departure from the Test side, that too in obscurity after being dropped from the side after the first Test in the recent Ashes series.
Watson’s terrible record at using the Decision Review System (DRS)
Watson’s entire career could be summed up in LBWs, inconsistency and injuries. Watson was someone who could bat anywhere, and he played in every position from 1 to 7. While he was drafted in as an opener, he also rolled his arm over a fair bit, even picking up 5 wickets in an innings against South Africa. But he would always be judged for hanging his front foot out much too often and his consistently unsuccessful DRS referrals.
One in nine – that is Shane Watson’s success rate in using the DRS against LBWs in the Ashes. He has been dismissed 29 times in his career & has the most dismissals in this manner by an Australian batsman this decade. He has been dismissed LBW in both innings of the same match five times.
With 59 Test matches under his belt, even Watson would admit he should have done better than 3731 runs and 75 wickets. Instead of his batting exploits making the news, his comical inability to use the DRS is trending on social media. Shane Watson will be missed in Australia’s Test side, and LBW referrals will never be the same.
Here is a look at Watson’s most terrible DRS calls in Ashes series.