Profile
Shane Watson missed nearly all the 2011/12 season at home due to injury, returning to international cricket towards the end of the Commonwealth Bank ODI Series.
His absence was a wake-up call to an Australian team who had come to depend on his brilliant batting and speedy bowling.
In 2011 he was regarded as Australia's most effective team member and won back-to-Allan Border Medals in 2010 and 2011.
Since returning to the Test side, he has stepped down the order to number three while new partners Ed Cowan and David Warner find their feet in Test cricket.
Watson excels in all three formats of the game. His 185 not out demolition of Bangladesh at Dhaka illustrates how far Watson has come in his career.
Plagued with more injuries than you can name in his early days, Watson’s stability on the field in recent years has made him the most important member of the team. His water-tight, brutish batting at the top order supplements his line and length bowling. With the ability to swing the ball both ways, Watson is the premier all-rounder in the world today.
Watson’s consistency and maturation has seen him elevated to vice-captain behind Michael Clarke, recognition of his talented displays on the field and hard work off it.
Now 30, Watson will be a mainstay in all Australian teams in the years to come.
