Watson one of the most valuable cricketers in the world: Roebuck

SYDNEY - Cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has described Australian opener Shane Watson as one of the most valuable cricketers in the world, based on his recent performances in Test, 50-over and Twenty20 cricket.

“Few batsmen hit the ball harder or straighter; few present as broad a bat or accept as much responsibility. He might not be Jacques Kallis but he belongs on the next rung,” said Roebuck in a syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Hardly a day goes by without him contributing something. If any reservations were held about his calibre then they were surely demolished by his blistering, butchering innings at the MCG on Sunday night. Watson won the match off his own bat. After years of wariness, too, local supporters eager for a genuine champion roared him on. In the past he merely looked like Hercules. Now he played like him,” Roebuck adds.

Roebuck says that it has been an astonishing transformation for a substantial cricketer long patronised as a crock, then as a bits-and-pieces all-rounder and more recently as a part-time opener.

“Watson is none of the above. He wanted to prove his worth as a cricketer. Nor is he any longer a bits-and-pieces player. If he is not quite an all-rounder, it is only because he could not command a place as a bowler. Watson is good enough to add balance to an attack. In certain conditions, too, he grows horns. But bowling is an extra - it’s his batting that counts,” he adds.

Although Watson did not have an especially productive Ashes campaign he did not let the side down either. Conditions were often tricky and the bowling was demanding. Even so, he batted sturdily and effectively. His main weakness lay in his running between wickets. (ANI)