Shane Watson paid tribute by ICC for all-round exploits vs India in WT20 2012; watch video

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson decided to call it quits from all forms of cricket on Tuesday, thereby bringing an end to an illustrious career that spanned almost two decades. The 39-year old, who called it a day from international cricket in 2016, continued to play franchise cricket all over the world where he set the stage ablaze with his excellent performances.

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ICC pays tribute to Shane Watson by posting his match-winning performance against India at the 2012 T20 WC

The Shane Watson retirement news was confirmed by a tweet made by the cricketer himself. As soon as the Shane Watson retirement news broke out, fans, as well as cricketers, took to social media to wish the Australian veteran on an illustrious career spanning almost two decades. Several reactions poured in as fans lauded the champion cricketer for his contribution to the sport.

The official Instagram handle of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has also been paying tribute to the Australian veteran by posting some of his memorable match-winning performances. On Wednesday, the ICC uploaded yet another video of Watson's stunning all-round performance against India in the 2012 T20 World Cup where he shined both bat and ball to guide Aussies to an emphatic win.

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Having won the toss, MS Dhoni elected to bat first. India, after getting off to a good start, lost their way in the middle by losing wickets at regular intervals. Shane Watson was the destructor-in-chief who grabbed three crucial wickets of Irfan Pathan, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina to break the backbone of Indian batting. The Aussies were able to restrict India to a paltry total of 140/7.

In response, Australian openers Watson and David Warner took Indian bowlers to the cleaners from the word go. The Aussie duo was relentless in their attacking approach as they scored runs freely and cruised towards the target. Both batsmen brought up their half-centuries. Just as they were nearing the target, Watson was dismissed for a well-made 72 off 42 balls which included two fours and seven towering sixes.

Warner stayed unbeaten at 63 off 41 balls while Glenn Maxwell scored four off six deliveries to get Australia over the line.

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Shane Watson career stats

Speaking about the Watson career stats, the Australian played more than 700 international and domestic matches, scoring more than 25,000 runs. With his bowling skills, he has claimed more than 600 wickets. Speaking about his Dream11 IPL performances, Watson scored has scored 3,874 runs from 145 matches and has taken 92 wickets.

Throughout his career, he played for three IPL franchises i.e. Chennai, Rajasthan and Bangalore. Whether in the Dream11 IPL or for the Australian national side, Watson was considered the 'Man of the Big Stage', with several Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament Awards to his name.

He was part of Australia's 2006 and 2009 Champions Trophy as well as 2007 World Cup winning teams, playing an integral role in each of them. In the Dream11 IPL, Watson is renowned for scoring a hundred in the 2018 final against Hyderabad, which was a winning effort eventually. And in the 2019 final, Watson top scored again, with a gritty 80, although Chennai lost the game to Mumbai by 1 run.

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SOURCE: ICC INSTAGRAM