It is seldom that someone bid
adieu to his test career and the game lovers still find his journey
indecipherable. A career which was filled with more of a promise than delivery, more of a criticism than accolades and that is Shane Watson for you who had been always a mile behind from what
had expected of him, especially in test cricket.
An unfilled promise |
Despite boasting an athletic
figure and often looks like a right handed disciple of Mathew Hayden, Watson
had to first beat his fragile body to withstand the demands of international
cricket. His resilience was commendable all through his career despite his body
threatened him to break up. It is tempting to say that had it not been for his
persistent injuries, he might have been one among the greats. It’s not simple
though, as his batting was plagued by his incomprehensible inability to handle
the in-swinging delivery, and his bowling, even at its best, couldn’t match the
likes of kallis and flintoff.
Watson offered an important
bowling option that made him a curious case. A front-line batsman not pulling
his weight with the bat, but easing the team’s burden with the ball. There were
significant contributions but of little substance. Owing to his injury prone
body, he should have modeled Steve Waugh, but tried to be a fast bowler,
bowling faster than the mechanics that his body can deal with, may be at the
behest of cricket Australia, which had hindered his career completely.
Leg Before Watson |
Of late, it has become a standing
joke that Watson plays round his front pad, the ball crashes into it at pace
and the umpire raises his finger. Watson reviews it, almost for a laugh. He can
no longer hold his spot when players of much better potential waiting on the
fringes. A right decision at wrong time? May be or May not be. He will be
forever remembered as perennial underachiever at test level.
Now he has two options at his
disposal. Either, the sturdy, six-foot all-rounder can focus on ODI &
T20I’s and hope to do some justice in the fag end of his career or focus on
domestic Twenty20 cricket, to secure lucrative contracts around the world. Unfortunately,
for a man with as blemished an injury record as Watson, the latter may seem the
more feasible choice.
Some players are remembered as world
cup winners, some as world record holders, but Watson will forever be remembered
with LBW written after his name.
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