Watson to quit international cricket after World T20
Thursday 24 March 2016 12:14, UK
England fans are in mourning after Shane Watson confirmed his retirement from international cricket.
The all-rounder - a much-loved victim of the Barmy Army, primarily due to his penchant for falling lbw in Tests - will quit Australia duty after the World T20, an event Watson's country are aiming to win for the first time.
With that in mind, we recall some the more memorable moments from his international career, including the good, the bad, and the ugly...
Opening up
Watson made his Test debut in 2005, but it wasn't until 2009 that he truly became a permanent fixture in the side, surprisingly as an opener. When the late Phillip Hughes struggled on the first two Tests of the Ashes tour, Australia turned to Watson at the top of the order. While he couldn't prevent Australia from slipping to a 2-1 series defeat, Watson did manage 240 runs across his five innings, including back-to-back fifties in his first Test back, at Edgbaston.
Homework-gate
In the dressing room, Watson appeared a polarising character. He was dropped – along with James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja – during a disastrous tour of India for failing to do his homework, a request from captain Michael Clarke and then coach Mickey Arthur, wanting an honest assessment on where the team were failing. Arthur, after being sacked soon after, said Clarke viewed his vice-captain Watson as a 'cancer on the team'.
One-day success
Watson's top score in his 169 ODI innings was the unbeaten 185 he walloped against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2011, the Queenslander smiting 15 sixes and as many fours in a startling knock. However, his next three highest innings came against England, with Watson biffing 161 not out at the MCG in 2011, 143 at Southampton in 2013 and 136 at Centurion in 2009 in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy, a tournament Australia would go on to win after Watson clobbered 105 in the final against New Zealand.
Master of T20Is
Watson displayed his limited-overs prowess again in January when he amassed the second highest score by a batsman in a T20I, the veteran's 124 from 71 deliveries against India at Sydney only topped by countryman Aaron Finch's swashbuckling 156 versus England at The Ageas Bowl in 2013. Watson is the only man to win four consecutive Man of the Match awards at an ICC event - doing so at the 2012 World T20 - while he is also the only player to top both the batting and bowling rankings for T20I cricket.
Kerrigan clubbed
During another disappointing Ashes tour in 2013, Watson hit his Test best 176 in the final Test at The Oval. Although a dead rubber with England already having won the series by going 3-0 up in the previous Test at Chester-le-Street, Watson took apart England's attack, in particular young Lancastrian slow left-armer, Simon Kerrigan, on debut. Kerrigan's eight overs cost 53 runs, with Watson launching him away for four fours in his second to set the tone. Watson would score his final Test ton in the 5-0 whitewash over England at Perth later that winter.
LBW love
The main reason for the Barmy Army's adoration of Watson is the priceless material he provides, mainly his love of falling lbw. In 37 Ashes innings, Watson has been dismissed lbw 14 times, the last of which came in his final Test at Cardiff, the first of this summer's Ashes. Watson fell lbw in both innings, and as common as his mode of dismissal were his unsuccessful reviews that followed them, much to the amusement of the crowd. Watson was subsequently dropped, Australia lost the Ashes in England again and, after 59 games for Australia, he retired from Test cricket.
