Whatever role he ultimately plays in the Australia team this year, the sight of Shane Watson driving and pulling his way to a blockbuster of a century at Manuka Oval on Wednesday was a joy for his compatriots to behold. The injury-prone 31-year-old missed much of the domestic season with a calf problem but looked back to his aggressive best as he blasted 122 runs off 111 balls to help Australia clinch the one-day series against West Indies. Whether it be as specialist opener, top order batsman or all-rounder, a fit and firing Watson will be a major asset for Australia’s test team as they embark on a tough trip to India followed by back-to-back Ashes series this year.
“I was starting to worry that I didn’t have enough form so it was nice to spend some time in the middle,” Watson said after the 39-run victory in Canberra. “When you don’t play for a while, you think you’ve lost it, so it’s nice to feel you’ve still got it.” With 8,000 runs in all three forms of the game at international level, Watson has clearly “got it”. What remains to be seen is what use Australia make of him.
