 Happy B’day, Shane Watson – Few of Top Exploits on All International Fronts.webp)
Watson, known for his right-handed batting and right-arm fast-medium bowling, was a pillar of Australian cricket during its golden age in the early 2000s and was the last player from that era to retire in 2016.
Shane Robert Watson, born June 17, 1981, is a former accomplished Australian former cricketer known for his all-round abilities. Watson represented the Australian national team from 2002 to 2016, occasionally captaining the team and demonstrating his leadership skills. Watson, known for his right-handed batting and right-arm fast-medium bowling, was a pillar of Australian cricket during its golden age in the early 2000s and was the last player to retire.
Today, on his 43rd birthday, let us look at his record list.
Shane Watson's stellar cricket career includes 14 international centuries: four in Tests, nine in ODIs, and one in a Twenty20 international. His most significant performance came in 2016, when he scored his first T20 international century. This achievement made him the tenth cricketer in history to make a century in all three forms and the first Australian to do so.
The stage was set for this historic moment when Watson, who took over as captain after Aaron Finch's hamstring injury, confidently led the squad. He took command of the innings, diligently establishing his century off only 60 balls. The defining moment came in the 17th over when he neatly drove Ravindra Jadeja for four past midwicket.
Watson's century against Bangladesh in April 2011 is still one of ODI history's most spectacular displays of power-hitting. Watson guided Australia to a dominant victory and an incredible 185 runs off just 96 balls.
He launched 15 sixes over the boundary ropes during this masterclass, breaking a record for the most sixes in an ODI innings—a feat that remains the sixth-highest. His utter dominance was enhanced by the fact that 150 of his runs came only from boundaries, setting another record for the most runs from boundaries in an ODI inning. This achievement remains the fourth-highest in ODI history.
Shane Watson bid farewell to T20 international cricket by contributing a valuable 18 runs with the bat and claiming two crucial wickets with the ball.
Watson's status forever marks the history of cricket as one of the game's most dangerous all-round players. His skills, particularly in limited-overs cricket, are legendary. By the end of his international career in 2016, Watson had accomplished a remarkable feat: he was one of just seven players to have scored 10,000 runs and claimed 250 wickets in international cricket.
Shane Watson jumps in the air while celebrating his century in Sydney.
Watson batted with exceptional finesse and power, scoring 124 runs off just 71 deliveries in a Twenty20 international match against India in January 2016. At that time, Watson's innings were the second-highest individual score in a Twenty20 international, demonstrating his raw talent and dominance at the crease. Notably, Watson's century was the best score by a skipper in T20Is, and it still ranks third.
During a November 2011 Test match against South Africa, Shane Watson delivered a bowling masterclass, concluding with an impressive 5/17 from just five overs. Watson's outstanding performance not only got him the coveted five-wicket haul but also cemented his place in cricket history with his bowling strike rate in that innings, one wicket per six balls, which is the eighth-best among all Test innings in which bowlers have taken four or more wickets.
