Profiles / Paul Moon / 21 May 2008 /

Jamiaca's Sabina Park is the venue for the First Test of Australia's tour of the West Indies. Shane Watson won't be there, though. Overlooked again, he will continue to ply his trade, with some success, in the IPL.

It's official! Shane Robert Watson (Born 17 June 1981 Ipswich, Queensland) is Australia's unluckiest sportsman! This 'fair dinkum' Australian has endured, without complaint, nine bouts of illness and injury in less than five years. Ailments have stalled or wrecked his bid to become Australian cricket's top all-rounder, but he remains adamant that time is still on his side.

Watson has always been an enormous talent, but freak injuries at the most inopportune times have robbed and butchered his career of momentum. Ironically, and in apparent contradiction, this magazine pin up is a fine athlete and looks every inch a fine physical specimen.

Australian chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch claims he is still held in high regard and is close to selection for Test and ODI. Since his ODI debut in March 2002 he has played just three Tests, the last in November 2005. Click here for his career stats.

However, being pigeon-holed as Australia's next champion all-rounder has not helped his obvious and anticipated progress. He scored an own goal when he stated his intention to emulate Andrew Flintoff and this has been detrimental in reducing his options. The selectors then labelled him with this perception. Ponting confirmed he has always seen Watson as a number six and this added unwanted weight to that analysis.

With current incumbent Andrew Symonds playing the best cricket of his career he represents a brick wall in that position. The other all-rounder, Michael Clarke, is the skipper in waiting so I would have advised Watson to aim for one of the batting spots, after all there is a vacancy at the top of the order with another about to vacate after the Ashes next year. Some technical adjustments will be needed but he has the latent ability.

Regrettably, Watson has gone down a blind alley and I consider him better suited as a conventional batsman and part-time bowler, rather than a bowler who engages in power hitting. I am never sure about inordinate amounts of time spent remodelling bowling actions. It rarely works! I am sure that this attributed to a loss of impetus and direction in his Test career. The jewel in his cricketing crown is his batting!

This conundrum is threatening any chance of a Test career and it may be that he has fallen between two stools and is destined for bit parts - I hope not because he is a brilliant cricketer! Australia, without Shane Watson, begin the First Test against the West Indies in Jamaica on 22 May 2008. Current prices available in that market show: West Indies [9.2] Australia [1.47] Draw [4.6].

Being considered a linchpin in the limited format of the game is insufficient reward but he can use this medium to knock on the Test Match door. Currently playing for the Rajasthan Royals he is performing magnificently with both bat and ball scoring three match-winning half-centuries to anchor his team to victory in their second, fourth and ninth matches of the tournament and picking up 12 wickets.

He has won three 'Man of the Match' awards in his first nine games. Many cricket pundits in IPL are considering Watson as 'Most valuable Player' after he has scored 287 runs at an average of 57 with a strike rate of 157. His 12 wickets have come at an average of 19 and he is conceding less than 7 runs-an-over proving what an effective and valuable cricketer he is.

Last week, Shane Warne, who is exhibiting great skills as head coach in this competition, expressed his opinion that Shane Watson is the best batsman in the IPL - a significant endorsement! Could it be that this clean hitter is a better batsman than he thinks himself? I think so...

Despite nervous times in Jaipur due to the bomb blasts the team's media manager Narendra Joshi confirmed that all players of the Rajasthan Royals are available for Saturdays match against Chennai. I would only believe that when I saw all the players take the field! To win the IPL latest Betfair prices show: Mohali [3.85] Jaipur [4.2] Mumbai [4.5] Chennai [5.5] Delhi [7.8] Kolkata [22] Hyderabad [350] and Bangalore [400].

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: