Australian cricket has lost its aura of invincibility. The
loss of two successive Ashes series is an indication of their precipitous
decline in Test cricket. The team has been vulnerable under pressure. They have
done relatively well in the overs-limit format, but without quite exhibiting
the kind of sting that they showed at their pomp when the likes of Steve Waugh,
Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath were around.
One man, however, has stood shining like a beacon of hope
for Australia . Since
2007, the charismatic Shane Watson has gone from better to best and at present
is the only Mr. Consistent – both, with the ball and the bat – for Australia .
His will power is rock solid.
Despite having a body worthy of getting featured in Playboy
magazine, Watson’s frame was so brittle that it threatened to break him. But
the tall poster boy refused to give up.
For a long time, it was felt that his recurrent injuries
would prevent him from maximizing his rich potential. But once he amended his
training, sacrificed alcohol and opted for low-calorie diet, the results began
to show. Till the 2007 World Cup, Watson batted mostly at No.7. While he didn’t
do badly at that slot, moving up the order has given him greater opportunities
to show his worth as a batsman. And while he has struggled to convert his
starts into hundreds in Tests, the centuries have come more easily in ODIs; all
five of his ODI hundreds have been scored in the last three years.
His promotion at the top proved the master stroke for Australia
and for Watson himself as the world watched his dazzling talents and
astonishing consistency even when others around him faltered. At the crease,
Watson is almost like a right-handed Matthew Hayden. Watson’s principle
strengths as a batsman are his abilities to pick the length early and hit the
ball powerfully like Hayden. Over the years, he has learnt to hit the ball with
a degree of authority. All those attributes have made him one of the most
dangerous batsmen in world cricket. His Test batting average of 41.55 from a
mere 20 matches since his elevation as opener indicates his importance at the
top.
As a bowler he is quick with ability to pick up crucial
wickets. When the need arises, he can bowl cheeky spells. More recently his
ability to reverse has kept the best batsmen at bay. In the limited over
version he has bowled fewer overs per match in the last three years, about 5.1
per match compared to 6.3 before 2008, yet he has averaged one wicket per match.
The bowling average has fallen drastically from 34.11 to 23 since the 2007
World Cup.
His bowling average in Tests is not as impressive as it is
in ODIs. Watson’s impressive bowling over the last three years indicates that
he will be a dangerous in the forthcoming World Cup.
His ODI batting average was about the same as his bowling
average till the end of the 2007 World Cup, but in the last three years, his
ODI batting average is twice more than his bowling. Not surprisingly, several
of his match-winning performances have come during this period; of the 11 Man-of-the-Match
awards, seven have come since 2008, with the latest one being less than two
weeks ago for his stunning unbeaten 161 against England ,
which helped Australia
ease past their target of 295.
Watson is a player on whom Australia
can depend for runs and for wickets in all formats of cricket. The tall, strong-built,
golden-haired is the new hope and inspiration of cricket Australia ,
the perfect torch bearer of the legendary Keith Miller. Australia ’s
success in the upcoming World Cup will depend heavily on the shoulders of
Watson.
His winning the Allan Border medal for two consecutive years
(2010 and 2011) has confirmed his arrival as the most important Australian
player.
Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country on 13/02/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/shane-watson-australias-modern-keith-miller-391
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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