Shane Watson

Australian all-rounder who dominated T20Is and won two IPL player of the tournament awards.

Shane Robert Watson (born 17 June 1981) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who played for and occasionally captained the Australian national cricket team between 2002 and 2016. He was an all-rounder who played as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He was ranked as the world's No. 1 all-rounder in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) for 150 weeks, including an all-time record of 120 consecutive weeks from 13 October 2011 to 30 January 2014. He began playing during the Australian team's golden era in the early 2000s, and was the last player from this era to retire. In his time playing for Australia, Watson was part of their winning squad in the Cricket World Cup two times in 2007, and 2015 along with the ICC Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and 2009, with Watson named as the player of the match in the final on both occasions, as he scored the winning run in the 2006 tournament, with the winning six in the 2009 tournament.

Quick Facts

Full name: Shane Robert Watson
Born: 17 June 1981
Birthplace: Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Nickname: Watto
Batting: Right-handed
Role: All-rounder
Country: Australia

Lore & Background

Watson also played Twenty20 cricket for a number of leagues around the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was named the player of the tournament in the IPL twice (in 2008 and 2018) and won the tournament twice (in 2008 and 2018). He continued to play in Twenty20 leagues after his retirement from international cricket in 2016, and retired from all forms of cricket in 2020. Watson was raised in Ipswich, Queensland. He attended St Marys Primary School and Ipswich Grammar School. He began playing cricket at an early age and represented Queensland Primary Schools in an interstate championship in Darwin in 1993. He began playing club cricket in Ipswich for the local Brothers club, then played Brisbane Grade Cricket for Eastern Suburbs. He represented the state at both under-17s level (in 1996/97) and under-19s level (in 1997/98, 1998/99, and 1999/00), and ultimately represented Australia in the 2000 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Watson was an AIS Australian Cricket Academy scholarship holder in 2000. He moved to Hobart, Tasmania where he was guaranteed an immediate place in the Tasmanian state team. He played for Tasmania in the second half of the 2000–01 Sheffield Shield season, making his way up the order from batting at number 7 on debut to batting at number 4 at season's end. In half a season he scored 309 runs at an average of 51.50, including his maiden first-class century in his fifth match, and took 11 wickets at an average of 26.27. At the end of the season he signed a three-year contract with Tasmania.

Reader's Guide

Watson was first selected for the Australian team in early 2002, being selected to tour South Africa with the Test team. He made his ODI debut on tour, replacing Steve Waugh. He continued as a regular member of the ODI team until early 2003, when he suffered three stress fractures in his back, meaning he missed the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Watson was contracted with Hampshire to play county cricket in 2004. In April 2004, he switched teams in domestic cricket, moving back to his home state to play for Queensland. In January 2005, Watson made his test debut in the third Test of Australia's home series against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Watson was part of Australia's ODI squad in their 2005 tour of England. Australian selectors included Watson as the fifth bowler and all rounder in all Test matches following the 2005 Ashes series. He dislocated his shoulder after diving to field a ball against the West Indies. Watson opened the batting for Australia at the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, alongside wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist. He made a 50 in Australia's victory over India, then took 2 wickets and scored 57 not out in the finals to seal the win. In the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy held in South Africa, Watson made two consecutive 100s against England and New Zealand in semi-final and final, helping Australia to defend their title. Watson was named in the squad for the 2006–07 Ashes series but was ruled out for the first three Tests with a suspected hamstring tear. Another injury setback ruled him out for the rest of the Ashes series. He returned in February to the ODI team, but again broke down with injury during the 29th match of 2007 Cricket World Cup. Injury again struck Watson in the early stages of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. He was then out of action for the 2007–08 Australian season. After Symonds was omitted from the Australian team for disciplinary reasons, Watson took the all rounder's position for the tour of India in late 2008. After returning to Australia, Symonds was recalled and both all rounders played in the First Test against New Zealand in Brisbane. After the match, Watson was dropped. At the end of the year, Watson suffered a stress fracture of the back. He returned to international duty in the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE, scoring a century.

Did You Know?

In the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy, Watson scored 105 against England in the group stage, not against India.
Watson was not named player of the match in the final of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy; that was Ricky Ponting.