Let me pose you a question: Would you rather Drop Chris Rogers or Shane Watson?
Now I’m not really directing this at you, the reader, but more the Australian selectors.
There’s plenty of speculation over the future of Chris Rogers in the Australian team and most are expecting him to lose his spot. Rogers is 38 and struggling, a good performance at the ‘Gabba won’t distract the selectors from his modest average of 35.94.
So it sounds like we might be seeing the last of Chris Rogers, but at least have the common courtesy to drop Shane Watson at the same time.
Here’s what you need to know about Shane Watson:
– He’s 33 years old.
– He has four centuries from 101 knocks.
– He has a long and recurring history of injury
– He is now unthreatening with the ball and unable to bowl anything over 130 km/h
But here’s the key stat, Shane Watson’s batting average is 35.51. An unavoidable stain on his record. But it’s a number the selectors tend to forget at the start of every series.
Let’s keep that number in mind as we go through some of the other tough decisions Cricket Australia has had to make in the last decade or so.
Phil Jaques
It’s widely known that Phil Jaques’ Test career was cut short due to a long term back injury that required surgery. However just before he elected to have that surgery he was dropped in favour of Simon Katich in 2008. In his 11 Tests he managed three 100s at an average of 47.47.
He never made it back to the Test team, his back being the reason. A recurring degenerative back injury however is not a reason to keep you out of the side, as long as you’re name is Shane Watson.
Simon Katich
Poor Simon Katich. His departure (putting it kindly) from the Australian side doesn’t make sense to me as Katich was one of the most consistent batsman in the world at the time. Averaging over 50 as an opener and 45.03 overall, Katich has a whopping 10 100s at Test level. That’s six more than Watson from about the same amount of matches. He also boasts more 50s.
So undoubtedly Katich is a better bat. With the ball, Katich’s average and strike rate are better than Watson’s too. It’s pretty obvious here that when it came to Simon Katich it wasn’t his cricketing ability that lost him his spot.
A row with Michael Clarke saw him axed before returning from a three month layoff due to an Achilles injury in 2011 with ‘Looking to the future’ as CA’s excuse. Funny how Watto never gets the same ‘Looking to the future’ treatment.
Brad Hodge
Hodge and Watson both made their debut for Australia in 2005. When Hodge was dropped for the final time in May 2008 he averaged 55.88 and had a top score of 203.
At the same time Watson was averaging 20.25. Watson kept his place in the team due to his bowling, which admittedly at the time was quite handy. But you still have to feel sorry for the poor bloke who stood up in the face of hostile South African Bowling and grinded out a knock for the ages who is stuck playing BBL fixtures for all his hard work.
I could do a write up on a few more names who have faced the axe but to give you an idea of the kind of company I keep Watson with. Here’s an excerpt from a list of Aussie Batsman of the last 10 years ranked by batting average.
| Rank | Player | Matches | Inning | Runs | Average | 100s |
| 21 | Tim Paine | 4 | 8 | 287 | 35.87 | 0 |
| 22 | Shane Watson | 54 | 101 | 3480 | 35.51 | 4 |
| 23 | Marcus North | 21 | 35 | 1171 | 35.48 | 5 |
I guess the point is, it’s not good enough to drop Watson now. It should have happened years ago. When the back problems started and we all started seeing how often he ‘missed a straight one’.
It’s not that he’s struggling for form, it’s that it’s been so long since he was in form it’s kind of embarrassing. Even if he scores a few this week I’m sick of him taking the spot of someone with some sort of potential.
At least try and prove me wrong Watto, go and do it when it counts otherwise I’m putting my foot-down and calling you ‘pretty average’.
Edison Marshall
Roar Pro
This is still hands down my favourite comment all time.
Dan
Guest
This is a horrible article with selective stats
Greg B
Guest
Watson clearly has friends in the inner sanctum of Australian cricket....he just never delivers the goods. The fact we're still debating his "potential" 10 years after his debut is simply case in point.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Edison Marshall
Roar Pro
Theres definitely talent around the 30yo mark. Ed Cowan has taken his game to another level since he actually played for the test team I think he's a little more deserving. Given M Marsh's absence I suppose we have to put up with Watson for the time being but He really has no place in the team once Marsh is fit.
Edison Marshall
Roar Pro
YUP pretty much the only thing keeping Watto in the side.
richard
Guest
Don Freo, Flintoff achieved heights in "that" Ashes series in England that Watson could only dream of. He made Ponting and Gilchrist in thier prime look like bunnies. Even Ponting the other day while commentating the T20 said. The greatest over he ever faced in test cricket was from Flintoff. Flintoff burnt himself out reaching those heights and turned himself into a cricketing legend. Watson will never have what it takes to do that. Unless he goes through some sort of miraculous mental transformation.
b
Guest
All the other injured players you mentioned actually performed. You keep comparing Watson to cricketing greats, as though association will suddenly make him look good.
b
Guest
You are desperately using stats and the term bowling allrounder to inflate Watson's ability. Watson is not a top order batsman. He gets selected at 3, but he has never deserved that position. If Watson was fitter and bowled more he would very much be classified as a bowling allrounder.
b
Guest
LOL, comparing Watson to Kallis? Kallis was actually a top order batsman, and is an argument as to why Watson should be either dropped down the order, or dropped from the team.
b
Guest
Watson's test average is not the standard you need for a top six test batsman either.
b
Guest
Watson is not a world class allrounder. He is a very ordinary batsman, and a part time bowler who can tie up an end without ever really looking threatening. I'd rather have a full time bowler who can't bat at all in the side than Watson. Johnson, Harris, Hazelwood and Lyon can combine to fill the batting role of an allrounder and bring in another strike bowler.
b
Guest
Watson's talent is overrated, his is performing about how we should be expecting him to perform. His batting is one dimensional and full of flaws, though his bowling can be good, he doesn't do enough of it. I'm baffled as to how anyone could be expecting more from him? He just doesn't have it in him.
b
Guest
His record isn't bad, for a lower order allrounder, maybe. But his average of 35 with the bat would only get him a spot in the top order of the worst test teams with poor domestic competitions. Test batsman must average over 40, decent test batsman average over 45, and good test batsman average over 50. Watson is not a batsman, and no matter how good his bowling is, that is no excuse to put him at 3.
Don Freo
Guest
Watson is miles ahead of Flintoff. Johnson and Starc are ahead of Flintoff
richard
Guest
The Oval, they would hardly be busting their boilers, given they had toiled so hard to win the series. A dead rubber is a dead rubber. Perth, It was barely alive, they were a broken team at that point. He was a truly great bowler earlier on -when he was on the park. he wanted tp be like Kallis and Flintoff obviously ,but he never reached their heights. He has been a valuable part of the team. but Its obviously time to move on. So much young talent waiting for a chance
Aransan
Guest
If Watson had focussed on endurance rather than strength I don't believe he would have developed as many injuries as he did. He was certainly capable of bowling 140km/hr+ but I saw his potential more as a brainy bowler bowling in the low 130s with swing and cut. With the way he has developed his body based on strength he has to bowl within himself to ensure he doesn't break down. Even so, can he bowl the number of overs he is currently being asked to do while maintaining his effectiveness without breaking down? Can he bowl more than 4 overs in a spell?
Clavers
Guest
Early on his career Watson expressed the desire to not only play as an allrounder, but also to bowl genuinely fast. I presume that his various injuries made him more pragmatic about how fast he could bowl, so he developed himself into a quality bowler at a lower pace, just as Kallis did.
Clavers
Guest
His 176 at The Oval were not against a beaten team; England had won the series. And three of the England bowlers (Anderson, Broad and Swann) would have been ranked in the world top ten at that time. The 2013-14 Ashes series was still live when he made his 103 in the second innings in Perth, with Anderson and Swann bowling. He has taken 5 wickets in a test three times in 54 tests. Compare that with Kallis, who did it 7 times in 166 tests, or Sobers who did it 6 times in 93 tests. (Sobers was able to bowl more overs than either Watson or Kallis, but then he bowled spin as well as pace. Also, there were rest days in Test matches back then.) The point about Watson's bowling is how he augments the attack. When the fast bowlers need to be rested Watson can come on and keep the pressure up. He swings both the new ball and the old ball and is economical. He can bowl second change while the new ball is swinging or partner the spinner and reverse it when when the ball is old. If Watson were not in the team the fifth bowler would be someone like Smith. Or the selectors might feel the need to select a "workhorse" type fast bowler who can rack up the overs but who isn't likely to take as many wickets. Sure he usually only bowls ten per per innings, but why would you want your fifth bowler to bowl more when you have guys like Johnson and Harris in the attack? On the other hand if one of the specialist bowlers get injured or sick, Watson can step up and bowl a few more.
Clavers
Guest
Ooooohhh I have!! :D I looove getting stuck into the England selectors and team management over the trainwreck they have made of their once-champion side recently. :) They won't pick their best batsman, won't pick their best spinner, and they've ended the careers of Trott and Swann by messing with their heads.