The Watson Wonder - Is this the end of Shane's career?
The first Ashes Test in Cardiff presented an all too familiar scenario for Australian Cricket; Shane Watson embarrassingly dismissed LBW in both innings for not many runs. The big all-rounder also proved ineffective with the ball, failing to take a wicket in the 12 overs he bowled in the match.
For a player of so much class, it is almost unbearable to watch Watson struggle to find form in the Test arena, compounded by the fact that he nearly always looks in supreme touch with the bat before throwing away his wicket, leading to even more frustration for his supporters. It’s for this reason why Watson is such a polarising figure and one of the most criticised players of all time; everyone knows just how good he can be when at his best, but unfortunately, he just never seems to capitalise on his prodigious talent.
Patience from the Australian selectors is wearing thin, and the selector on tour, Rod Marsh, has shown he is not afraid to drop the underperforming Watson, cutting him from the playing XI in a recent World Cup match against Afghanistan. Mitchell Marsh is breathing down his neck, too, as the young Western Australian all-rounder outscored Watson with back-to-back tons against Kent and Essex in the lead up tour matches, and also snared more wickets than the old-timer.
Australian coach Darren Lehmann has only added fuel to the fire for the debate, failing to assure that Watson would retain his place for the Second Test, commenting that it would be a “tough call” between Marsh and Watson for the all-rounder’s position.
With such a monumental call to be made in the coming days on the 34-year-old veteran’s Test career, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of having Watson in the Test line-up.
Pro – England is a happy hunting ground for Watto
This is a fact commonly overlooked when debating the Watson case. If you cast your mind back to the 2013 Ashes series in England, stats show Watto as being the highest run scorer for Australia over the five Tests with 418 runs at a healthy average of 41.8, as well as amassing his highest Test score of 176 at The Oval.
Going even further back to the 2009 Ashes in the Old Dart, Watson again was impressive, scoring a number of assured half-centuries over the course of the series, impressing many good judges and kick-starting his Test career. Watson has had the majority of his Test batting success against the Poms, scoring two of his four Test centuries against them.
England is also where Watson performs best with the ball; two out of his three 5 wicket hauls in Test cricket have come there, albeit against Pakistan. It is noted by many that Watson is able to swing the ball considerably in English conditions, as well as being able to produce elusive reverse swing, a rare weapon.
After playing against Australia in a recent tour match, Essex batsman Tom Westley - who made a solid century in the match - sang the praises of Watson, noting that he found the medium-pacer “really difficult” to score off and “extremely challenging” in English conditions, with Watson’s ability to move the ball both ways in the air and nagging line and length difficult to play.
Con – SRW is too prone to LBW
Although Watson sports a decent record against England, they also can lay claim to a decent record of their own against him. As was widely publicised in the coverage of the First Test, Watson has been dismissed LBW an astonishing 29 times in Test cricket, with a whopping 13 of those coming against England.
It was in England in 2009 where his weakness to being trapped in front of his stumps was masterminded, as the Poms repeatedly dismissed him in that fashion in the Test series, and then made his life a living LBW hell in the ODI series that followed.
Since then they have not let up, with the big front pad of Watson being targeted endlessly with great success by the likes of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. If Watson is to thrive again at Test level, he will need to find a way to combat his widely known kryptonite – and quickly.
Pro – Watson provides invaluable experience to the Australian team
At 34 years of age and with 59 Tests under his belt, Watson has been around the traps for a very long time, and knows the ins and outs of international cricket. He boasts considerable Ashes experience too, something that will no doubt come in handy during a pressure-filled Test series where leaders will be needed to stand up and be counted.
Aussie opener David Warner endorsed Watson’s leadership skills and experience, telling of how he regularly visits the all-rounder for advice, as well as describing his teammate as “a great asset”, going on to say that “he’s doing everything right”. Warner also was quick to point out that we should not be too hasty to lambast Watson for his First Test performance, as no Australian batsman played well in the foreign conditions.
While he might be under intense pressure from the fans and even the coach, Warner’s comments show that Watson still has the backing of the playing group, and that they believe that he can still be a force at Test level.
Con – Mitchell Marsh could be a better option
As previously stated, Mitch Marsh is in sublime touch with the bat after a pair of recent tons, and his bowling is steadily improving. To be fair to Watson, he also performed at a decent level in the tour matches, scoring a pair of half-centuries, although Marsh completely overshadowed him with his brutal big-hitting antics.
Marsh has previously shown immense promise in the Test arena, solidly slotting in during the recent home summer against India. Highlights of his debut Test series included the dashing 41 he made at Adelaide, belting the ball all over the park with aplomb, as well as showcasing his ability to bowl above 140kmph, and a safe pair of hands in the outfield to boot.
With Marsh champing at the bit to regain his place in the team, can Australia afford to allow Watson to continue to try and find form in the middle of a hugely important series? Time will tell – I guess we will find out in a couple of days time, when Michael Clarke reads out his team sheet at the coin toss for the Second Test at Lords.