Shane Watson retires from Big Bash League

Shane Watson, on Friday, announced his retirement from the Big Bash League in order to spend more time with his family. The former Australia allrounder was leading Sydney Thunder and played for the club for four years. He led the team in the past three seasons. The Australian great is finishing his career as Sydney Thunder’s all-time leading run-scorer with 1014 runs including a ton he scored last season. He also picked up 19 wickets with his medium pace. In the last season, Watson was Thunder’s second highest run-scorer, scoring 344 runs.

Having cemented his status as one of the most popular players of the team, Watson helped Sydney Thunder win their first-ever and only Big Bash League title till date in 2016. He is currently in India, playing in the ongoing Indian Premier League for defending champions Chennai Super Kings. After a poor start to the season that saw him score just 147 runs in the first ten games, he roared back to form with a majestic 96 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The all-rounder, who scored over 10,000 runs and took 291 wickets for Australia across formats, will continue to be available for overseas tournaments. He will also continue plying his trade in grade cricket for Sutherland DCC.

“I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who has been involved with the Sydney Thunder over the last four seasons,” said Shane Watson as quoted by News 18.

“I have so many amazing memories that I will savour forever with the one standout being our win in 2016. I want to especially thank Nick Cummins, Paddy Upton, Lee Germon and Shane Bond who made my experience with the club so enjoyable. I will most definitely miss support that the club gets from the Thunder Nation. Their unwavering support through the ups and downs inspires everyone and I will cherish that support deeply. Finally, to my teammates, I have played with so many great people and cricketers at the club and I sincerely wish everyone the absolute best for the upcoming seasons,” he added.

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