Watson ponders future ahead of BBL

Sydney Thunder skipper Shane Watson is unsure if this BBL campaign season will be his last, but he is well-placed to make it his best.

The 36-year-old is coming into the third and final year of his contract with the Thunder and is weighing up whether to play on.

After belting an unbeaten century in club cricket just over a week ago the former Test allrounder goes into Tuesday night's season-opener against Sydney Sixers in form.

Watson smashed 114, including 16 sixes, for Sutherland in a Twenty20 clash, following on from a mammoth 184 off 151 balls in a grade match in October.

"When you're hitting the ball well, it doesn't matter what bowlers you're facing," Watson said.

"There's always a step up (going from grade cricket to the BBL). The quality of the bowling consistently that you face in the Big Bash is a great challenge. It's not until you step up to that next level that you really know (if you're in form). But I know the foundation of my batting is really strong."

Watson made 104 runs from six innings in last year's BBL as well as taking seven wickets with a best of 3-23.

He said form, enjoyment and whether Thunder management wanted him to play on in 2018-19 would be factored into his decision.

"We'll just see how things pan out this summer and if I'm still loving playing and I still feel like I can contribute," Watson said.

"If the Thunder still feel like I can contribute then I'll keep going."

Both the Thunder and Sixers have named a 13-man squad for the match, with the Thunder including big-name off-season recruits Jos Buttler, Callum Ferguson and Mitch McClenaghan.

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques has been named but is likely to play as a batsman only as he continues to recover from a groin injury.

The match will start at 7.45pm AEDT on Tuesday at Spotless Stadium.

Sydney Thunder: Shane Watson (c), Fawad Ahmed, Aiden Blizzard, Jos Buttler, Andrew Fekete, Callum Ferguson, Ryan Gibson, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Mitch McClenaghan, Arjun Nair, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer

Sydney Sixers: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Sam Billings, Doug Bollinger, Johan Botha, Harry Conway, Daniel Hughes, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Jason Roy, Daniel Sams, Jordan Silk