BBL 2018-19: Shane Watson squashes retirement reports after T20 tournament

Shane Watson is one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game. In spite of injuries threatening to derail his career initially, the 37-year old has worn his heart on the sleeves to make every moment count of his career. Although retired from international cricket, Watson continues to make appearances in the T20 leagues around the world and has squashed reports of the upcoming season after BBL his swansong.

The former Test opener realises that his game could be depreciating with time but refuses to guarantee that the Australian T20 extravaganza starting in a week from now would be his final appearance. Watson, the batsman hasn’t had a dip in form in the T20 leagues around the world. He contributed 331 runs at an average of 36.78 in 10 matches for Sydney Thunder in the last season of BBL.

He was at the heart of the victorious Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018, tonking 555 runs in 15 fixtures along with a century in the final. The Queensland-born all-rounder conceded that he still feels a lot younger and as long as he can continue contributing for the teams and enjoy himself on the field, he will continue to play.

Watson said as quoted by Fox Sports: “My mind’s open. To be able to play in some of these tournaments around the world, it’s so much fun. Also, I’ve experienced life outside cricket. Cricket is what I know better than everything. While I can really contribute on the field from a skills point of view, as a senior player I’m still loving it and will continue to play.”

Watson would only continue to play if he is able to contribute

The 37-year old, meanwhile, also expressed that he will continue to take the field only as long as he is able to positively contribute to the team. He believes that cricket is a skill-based game and it should only get better and mentally he is on the top of his game.

However, the physical component is equally important for him and as yet he isn’t feeling like his body would give up on him. “But if there’s a point where the real enjoyment of the game is starting to wane and I’m realizing that I’m not able to contribute like I can, that’ll definitely be the day,” Watson further added. 

“From a mindset point of view, I’m on top of my game more than ever. From a technical point of view, I’m able to play Twenty20 cricket for the last three years which means that is the only skillset I’ve been working on. In theory, cricket is a skill based game and you should get better as you get older until the physical component comes in and your skills start to go down.”

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