What do you do with Shane Watson?

[Pugsley]

or once the series is won/lost.

No argument here.

 

[Van_Dyke]

or once the series is won/lost.

On a flat deck

 

[crownie]

drop him.

/end thread

 

[LukeParkerno1]

On a flat deck

With Simon 'Mick Lewis' Kerrigan bowling pies

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Well I've got my avatar ready for the ashes with Shane in mind

 

[Freo Big Fella]

 

[FlowersByIrene]

Watson cannot bowl anymore. Anyone thinking he is due his position on the back of his "containing bowling" is having a laugh.

Watson is a bona fide hack these days unfortunately

 

[BlueandGoldforever]

Here is why watson should be in the team:

• He's scored more test runs in the past year than all the batsman from Afghanistan, Ireland and the UAE, and Chris Martin combined
• He has nearly as many test centuries as Marcus North
• He hasn't been injured in weeks
• He was in pretty good form five or six years ago
• This sub seems to like benchods, and he kind of looks like Jaime Lannister (and bats like he sword fights from the third book), and he's played for Tasmania
• He tries hard, and has even started doing his homework
• A lot people point out that he doesn't take a lot of ODI wickets. This is unfair, as he also doesn't take a lot of test wickets. Also, his role in ODI's is to be economical rather than take wickets, and in the last two years the only Australian bowlers to have a better ODI economy rate than Watson are Johnson, Starc, Pattinson, Cummins, Doherty, Faulkner, Marsh, Hazlewood, Smith, Maxwell and probably a few others.
• He seems as likeable and articulate as David Warner, and he doesn't assault lesbians
• He has all the foundations of a world class allrounder, and soon he's going to hit his peak. I know people have been saying that for ten years, but this year it's totally true.
• He has incriminating photos of the selectors, I assume
• He has previously captained the side, and seems the obvious choice for captain in all formats once they finally drop Steve Smith
• He scores runs when the team's under pressure. Several of them.
• He's batting is constantly improving. Early in his career he would get out bowled quite often. After a few years, he worked out you can block the stumps with your legs, unfortunately, he started getting a lot of LBWs. Then he worked out if you use the wooden thing in your hands, you can't get LBW. Unfortunately, sometimes the ball flies off that and goes into a fielder's hands. But wait until he works out you can hit the ball into the ground. He will be unstoppable.

And finally, the biggest, strongest argument I have for keeping Shane Watson in the team:

• If he got dropped now he'll probably retire and become Channel Nine's new top commentator

Very funny. I laughed a lot at this. I have never rated Shane Watson and continue to this day to be constantly baffled at his almost automatic selection in the Test side.

 

[Ashton Agar]

Very funny. I laughed a lot at this. I have never rated Shane Watson and continue to this day to be constantly baffled at his almost automatic selection in the Test side.

That period of 09-10, while he was struggling to turn most of them into hundreds but he was consistently making scores, he deserved his selection as an opening batsman. Then he got injured, Warner and Cowan took the opening spots and he had to move down the order and he's been mediocre ever since.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

That period of 09-10, while he was struggling to turn most of them into hundreds but he was consistently making scores, he deserved his selection as an opening batsman. Then he got injured, Warner and Cowan took the opening spots and he had to move down the order and he's been mediocre ever since.

He lost form as opener before he got injured. He started going downhill almost as soon as Kat was dumped.

 

[Ashton Agar]

He lost form as opener before he got injured. He started going downhill almost as soon as Kat was dumped.

Yeah he started declining, but at the time it just seemed like a loss of form and I still thought he deserved to be selected.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/cricket/33159714

Radio link for Radio Kent

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Our batting lineup isn't good enough to move Nevill up to 6.

Alternatively, our batting depth is poor enough we may have to bat Nevill at 6.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

ChampRevesby you missed a reason for picking Watson.
If the decision is made to drop him he might waste a review on it.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Watson cannot bowl anymore. Anyone thinking he is due his position on the back of his "containing bowling" is having a laugh.

Watson is a bona fide hack these days unfortunately

It would be a fair argument if there wasn't an alternative

However marsh bowls better, bats better and is no more injury prone

 

[gym4life]

Watson will be our highest run scorer at the ashes.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Um no he won't. Doubt he'd be top 3 in the team even.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

Watson has barely outscored Johnson over the last 3 years

 

[The_Reaper]

Watson will score the most runs and be in the best form in the nets

 

[Kram]

Bumble summed up his Test batting last Ashes with "look I don't know the bloke.. but I bet he would love to bat against the bowling machine at training where he can just stand there and just bash ball after ball straight back down the V"

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Watson will score the most runs and be in the best form in the nets

The David Clarke of cricket

 

[The Casey Cat]

Watson will score the most runs and be in the best form in the nets

Been in amazing form at training apparently

 

[Doodlesweaver]

The least they could do, if they pick him for the first test, is stick him in at 8 and Johnno in at 6. In the last 2 years, Johnson averages 50 in the first test of a series and Watson averages 20.

 

[Hellgood]

The least they could do, if they pick him for the first test, is stick him in at 8 and Johnno in at 6. In the last 2 years, Johnson averages 50 in the first test of a series and Watson averages 20.

Why bother though when he hasn't been bowling?

 

[maxmustard]

The great thing about Marsh being in the frame is Watson has to bowl decent overs now. If his body can't cope or whatever else then he's not getting picked.