Injury-plagued allrounder Watson ends test career

Monday, 7 September 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Australia allrounder Shane Watson has ended his test career with immediate effect after yet another injury setback, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Sunday.

Watson, who has battled injuries throughout his career, sustained a calf injury in Saturday’s one-day victory over England that ended his England tour, the CA said on their website.

“It’s been a decision that hasn’t come lightly, over the last month especially,” Watson, who finished his 59-test career scoring 3731 runs with a 35-plus average, was quoted on saying in the CA website.

“I know it’s the right time to move on and still hopefully play the shorter formats of the game, one-dayers and T20s,” said the allrounder.

Watson played his last test in the first Ashes contest against England before being dropped from the Australian side who lost the series 3-2 last month.

Since his 2005 test debut against Pakistan, regular hamstring and back injuries have taken toll on Watson’s body and his stock has fallen considerably over the last couple of years.

Once the golden boy of Australian cricket, the 34-year-old blond lost his place at the top of the batting order and batted at number six in Cardiff.

His bowling, which earned him 75 test wickets and was once considered essential to the team balance, has also lost some of its bite.