5 Shocking retirements in the year 2016

4. Shane Watson – Australia

The prolific all-rounder made his debut for Australia in 2002 under his idol, Steve Waugh. Watson announced his arrival to International arena in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 and made justice to his selection as an all-rounder.

He amassed 10,911 runs across all three formats of the game with a batting average exceeding 40 in ODIs. In January 2016, Watson was named as the T20I captain and became one few Australians to captain his team in all formats. He was awarded with the coveted Allan Border medal for two consecutive years, 2010-11. He was also elected as the Australian ODI player from 2010-12.

Watson’s retirement completely came out of the blue. He was easily one of the best all-rounder of the game in the shorter formats. Watto is widely known for his ability to hit the ball straight over the bowler’s head and clear the fence with ease. He bid farewell to International cricket right after the T20I match against India in March 2016. He was the last player to have retired from Australia’s golden era of the early 2000s.