Rodney Dangerfield was a successful stand-up comic and a regular on the US talk show circuit during the 1960s and 1970s. He also made a memorable appearance essentially playing himself in the 1980 ensemble comedy Caddyshack, which also launched the movie careers of Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. Dangerfield’s comedy was heavily character-based, built around the self-deprecating persona of a loser with the catchphrase ‘I don’t get no respect’.
Shane Watson would have known how Dangerfield felt. He was a cricketer who got no respect from the moment he made his international debut in March 2002, in a limited-overs match against South Africa.
Watson replaced beloved Test captain Steve Waugh, who had been sacked from the one-day side a month earlier.
While the two shared a mono-gram, they could not have been more different in personality. Waugh was ice cool, rock hard and rock-ice cool-hard. He betrayed no emotion, and bent the universe to his will with sheer, bloody-minded stubbornness.
Watson, by contrast, wore his heart on his sleeve, and his sleeve on his monstrous bicep. Every triumph and every failure in his career would be emotionally broadcast in SuperHD for teammates, opponents, and spectators to see.
Waugh had singlehandedly wrested the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy from the mighty West Indians, won two World Cups 12 years apart, and scored a pig-headed Ashes century on one leg seemingly for the sole purpose of making a point about English softness.
Watson had carelessly done none of those things and seemed to be leaning on the excuse that it was because he was only just now making his international cricket debut.
A reasonable excuse, one might agree. But back when Waugh had made his debut for Australia, he’d done so with the special bonus offer of a similarly talented twin1 waiting in the wings.
Indeed, everything about the emergence of Watson would quickly prove to be an unwelcome culture shock to Australian cricket fans. They’d ridden Waugh’s brand of squinty-eyed toughness to the top of the cricketing universe and then cranked up the time machine to set their sights on the great teams in history as well.
Imagine having to replace the bloke that captained Australia to this moment. (Photo by Neal Simpson/EMPICS via Getty Images)
Now who in blazes was this musclebound man-child who always seemed on the brink of tears when things went wrong? He seemed to be precisely the kind of person who Waugh himself would have mentally disintegrated with a throwaway barb and/or no hesitation. And he was in the team as Waugh’s replacement?
And, wait a second, why were things going wrong anyway? This was Australian cricket around the turn of the millennium. Things didn’t ‘go wrong’ for them.
Frankly, the whole thing sounded pretty bloody un-Australian. Yet another mark against the new kid, who’d chalked up an awful lot already for somebody playing their first international series.
And yet, slowly but surely, with a stealth that belied his enormous frame, Watson began to build a career deserving of respect. It was a respect that was a long time coming, lagging far behind the actual feats that he accomplished in 14 years of representing Australia.
Watson overcame a broad catalogue of injuries that threatened to derail his career before it even began. Stress fractures in his back cost him a spot in the 2003 World Cup squad – the very squad that had triggered his replacement of Waugh in the first place.
He made his Test debut in January, 2005 against Pakistan, but failed to hold his spot for the 2005 Ashes. The success of Andrew Flintoff in that epic series, however, convinced the selectors that Australia, too, needed an all-rounder in their side. Watson was earmarked for that role. And then almost immediately dislocated his shoulder in the field.
He had a chance to regain his spot for the 2006–07 Ashes, but tore a hamstring just prior to the first Test. Michael Clarke took his spot, and never looked back.
Watson had developed a reputation for being injury-prone2, which wasn’t doing him any favours on the respect front.
When he returned to the Test side in late 2008, he’d mostly put his injury problems behind him. However, a technical flaw in his game meant that he would always be a prime LBW candidate, with a constant struggle to get his enormous3 front pad out of the way of any delivery angled in at the stumps.
Shane Watson’s LBW woes became a running joke, and his ongoing determination to couple that with devil-may-care employment of the new-fangled umpire Decision Review System gave him a fresh hurdle to overcome in the respect stakes.
The LBW-review-decision upheld-routine became such a regular Watson 1-2-3 punch that many Australian fans found it impossible to forgive. To such fans, he would always be a joke figure worthy only of derision4.
And yet… and yet…
Despite the injuries that bedevilled his early career and the ball-attracting pads that constantly sought to undo him for the remainder of it, Watson built an impressive record. While never quite the consistently dominant Test player for which Australia had originally hoped (four Test hundreds, a 35.19 batting average, and 75 wickets from 59 Tests), his record in both 50-over and 20-over cricket more than compensated. Watson’s broad-shouldered power hitting was particularly effective at the top of the order where he was able to hit over the fielding-restricted infielders and regularly find the boundary.
He was an Allan Border Medallist twice, in 2011 and 2012. He was the Australian Test Player of the Year in 2011, the Australian ODI Player of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and the Australian T20I Player of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2017. No cricketer has ever won as many Australian Player of the Year awards as Watson.
When Australia won the 2009 Champion’s Trophy, Watson scored a century in both the semi-final and final. He was Player of the Tournament in the 2012 World T20 Championship, winning four consecutive player of the match awards and dominating all the statistical tables in both batting and bowling. Watson became Australia’s 44th Test captain in 20135. He was also the first Australian cricketer to score a century in all three formats: Test, ODI and T20I.
Perhaps it’s possible to maintain a position of disrespect for an international cricketer with a resume full of such remarkable accomplishments. But it would require an exhausting level of stubbornness and irrational grudge-holding.
For everybody else, Watson is a colossus of a cricketer with colossal pads and an equally colossal cricketing record.
Respect.
Activity corner
By changing one letter at a time, and using only common English words, how quickly can you get from Shane Robert Watson’s initials (SRW) to leg before wicket (LBW)?
5 or more moves – passable
4 moves – good
3 moves – excellent
2 moves – review your path
This is an extract from Dan Liebke’s latest book, The 50 Greatest Australian Cricketers, out now in bookstores and online.
1 Watson? Consistently twinless. Back to article.
2 A deserved reputation, to be fair. Back to article.
3 Technically, Watson’s front pad was no larger than other players’, but that’s not the way it seemed. Back to article.
4 Watson’s Test career ended in 2015 at Cardiff. In both innings he was dismissed LBW. In both innings, he reviewed unsuccessfully. Staying on brand right to the very end. Back to article.
5 He famously opened the batting and bowling with Glenn Maxwell in that sole Test as captain, outfunking Michael Clarke’s entire captaincy career in a single stroke. Back to article.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Great post. Stats only tell part of the story though. Botham was capable of a lot more than Watto at test level. You can’t really compare them. Botham also held the world test wicket record at some stage I think. That’s not something Watto could ever have done.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I guess it begs the question how wet is considered 'wet?' Intermittent showers or an overnight downpour? Plus, even with uncovered wickets and without modern curating, some wickets drain better than others. Good talking point, though.
Bretto
Guest
One of Dan's best lines of all time (please excuse me if the words are not 100% spot on) - Watto arrived at the crease with no reviews left, which to him must have felt like batting without a box.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Well if you're setting the bar at Bevan then they easily qualify.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Bernie claimed: Bevan’s mid 70s strike rate was still excellent in the 1990s First up, I don't know why you've selected the 1990's considering that he played 110 ODIs this century. Neither do I know how you arrive at his "mid 70's strike rate" being "excellent". Perhaps you could expand? (For reference, of his contemporaries, Gilchrist, Ponting, Marto & the Waughs, Bevan's s/r was actually the lowest. Embarrassingly so in the case of Gilchrist & Roy). And then said: A bit hard to denigrate Bevan simply because the opposition couldn’t get him out. Why? This is limited overs cricket. The fielding side were as happy for Bev to take singles at the end as Bev was to take them. And finally said: It’s not like he was a selfish non team orientated not out player. "team orientated" players don't finish their odi career with a low s/r & over a third of their innings Not Out.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Bevan's mid 70s strike rate was still excellent in the 1990s. A bit hard to denigrate Bevan simply because the opposition couldn't get him out. It's not like he was a selfish non team orientated not out player.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Enjoyed reading it.
Rob Peters
Guest
"The performance of Headley and Bradman on wet wickets is worth noting. Ray Robinson compares Headley's scores on wet wickets in 13 innings between 1933 and 1939 to Bradman's scores in 15 innings under similar conditions for the same period. Bradman's average was 16.66, Headley's 39.85! Hence the observation by Neville Cardus, "that Headley has good claims to be considered on all wickets the finest of the inter-war batsmen." " (From a 2003 Caribbean newspaper article.)
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
That's pretty much exactly what I was saying.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
As a young bloke - twenty or so minutes home from Wynyard on the train was enough time to read the back page, a few pages in from there to get up to date with all sports, then the comics and a little bit of the news on the front pages, starting with the Page 3 bikini girl! Great days, all to be enjoyed, no commitments beyond family and footy training. Loved it!
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Not sure that was my takeaway at all. Surely pointing out his many achievements makes the lack of love irrational rather than rational i.e. not based on any real facts
sheek
Roar Guru
Chris Kettleworth, Bradman dominated world batting in the 1930s in the same way as Smith is dominating batting in 2010s, but much, much better. I laugh when people attempt to denigrate Bradman's achievement. He faced often the same conditions & bowlers as many of the great batsmen in history who played alongside & against him. For those who mostly or exclusively appeared during the interwar years, 1920-39, Bradman averaged 99.94 for Australia, Ponsford 48.23 & McCabe 48.21. For England, Sutcliffe averaged 60.73, Paynter 59.23, Hammond 58.46, Hobbs 56.95 & Tyldesley 55. For South Africa, Nourse jnr averaged 53.82 & Mitchell 48.89, while the man they dubbed the 'Black Bradman', George Headley, averaged 60.83 for the Windies. This list features some of the all-time greats of test cricket, but they pale into insignificance beside Bradman. Tendulkar & Kohli are running neck & neck for the moment with their test batting averages, 53.79 & 53.63. But neither of these guys stand out like Bradman did. Indeed, contemporary players Smith, Sangakkara & Kallis have better averages than Tendulkar & Kohli. It's a nonsense trying to downgrade Bradman.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
I don't. Watto had a nearly 20 run better s/r, had the power to clear the ropes, was a far better bowler, and also a better fielder. The only stat in Bev's favour is batting average and this is due to his managing to finish with a reddie in an astonishing 34.2% of his innings. (Over twice Watto's figure). Of the two, I'd rather pick Roy...
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
John Allen said: I may be incorrect but I recall reading somewhere that Javed Miandad was never given out LBW in Tests in Pakistan. Incorrect I'm afraid. Miandad got the umpire's finger eight times for lbw. Plus a few stumpings and run-outs. Whereas the one often quoted in response, 'Bill Lawry was never given out LBW in Oz", is actually true.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
This is an interesting statement: "At least Marsh has tried to counter it technically" Especially considering Mitch Marsh isn't a fraction of the batsman that Watson was. But yes, planting that front foot can be a bit problem for some players. It works well in white ball cricket where the ball isn't really moving and you set a good platform to just swing through the line, but can be a problem in tests when the ball is moving. I've seen it said that when playing the swinging ball you really want to have your front foot plant around the same time you hit the ball, not when it's halfway down the pitch, because then you are stuck if the ball moves. But there are plenty of players that play that way. Funnily enough, some managed to get away with it. Hayden did that lots in test cricket for great success.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Idle Watto Fact: Yes Geoff, because of his 'step across' technique Watto did get LBW against the poms a fair bit. But the never mentioned flip side of that technique is the interesting and *relevant* fact that he was never bowled in an Ashes Test. Not a bad achievement for a top-order bat over 37 innings, and an average of 42.6. More swings and roundabouts than a fatal flaw I'd say.
Bludger
Guest
Watson was a classic example of looking like Tarzan but playing like Jane. He would have been a cracking club cricketer I reckon. Ideal middle order Saturday afternoon dasher.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
I guess it was the frustration for Aussie supporters that it was happening so regularly in that Ashes series in England with Watson became a walking LBW candidate with his vulnerability to the ball angling in towards the pads. Everyone could see it was going to happen. It was just a matter of when. I think a lot of batters know when they are very close to being LBW when struck on the pad but Watson refused to acknowledge it in that series. In the benefit of hindsight Watson was doing the right thing in getting well forward to counter any seam movement. But he simply repeated the same action over and over again with an exaggerated forward lunge to the point that it became predictable to the bowlers. Mitch Marsh has the same problem with that stiff thrust of he left leg towards the ball. At least Marsh has tried to counter it technically. Perhaps it is a weaknesses of taller big bodied batters. Other batsmen of smaller stature e.g. Smith and Labu - have much quicker feet movement which allows them to react quickly and differently to different length balls. But getting back to Watson we should probably be giving more credit to the English bowlers who saw a weakness and exploited it ruthlessly. Anderson and Broad have terrorised a number of the Aussie top order in English conditions over the years including Warner and Harris in the last series. So Watson was no orphan in having trouble in dealing with the moving ball.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
That's a good point you make Chris
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Injuries certainly hurt him. Early in his career he was a 145+ quick bowler. But because of injuries he slowed down a lot to more medium fast, low-130's sort of bowler. But he could still move the ball around and in the right conditions could rip teams apart.