Shane Watson, the former Australia all-rounder and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday. The 39-year-old is yet to announce the decision formally but made the decision after CSK’s final IPL 2020 match against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, which the Yellow Army won by nine wickets. Watson, who was bought by CSK two years ago, had already retired from international cricket in 2015. He played a vital role in the Chennai-based franchise’s third IPL title win in 2018 with a century in the final.
Moving back to the top of the batting order, Watson hit 555 runs, including a memorable century in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He almost repeated his final heroics in 2019, smashing a 59-ball 80 before getting run-out in the final over as CSK lost to Mumbai Indians by a run. Watson has been one of the icons of the cash-rich league, scoring 3874 runs and picking up 92 wickets in 145 IPL matches.Before CSK, he had also turned out for Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore and had played a crucial role in the Royals’ maiden title win in the inaugural edition in 2008. Watson, who has played 59 Tests, 190 ODIs, and 58 T20s at the international level, has won the ICC World Cup with Australia twice, in 2007 and in 2015. In Tests, Watson scored 3731 runs and picked up 75 wickets, and scored 5757 runs and scalped 168 wickets in ODIs to finish his career as one of the leading all-rounders of his era.
