Shane Watson's World Cup Woes

Shane Watson’s World Cup got off to the worst possible start after being dismissed for a first ball duck against England. Now there’s doubt whether he’ll be in Australia’s side to take on New Zealand. The All-rounder struggled with form and injury heading into the tournament but could be given at least one more chance in Australia’s third group game. Watson will be desperate for runs but if the Kiwis cut his innings short is it curtains for the Queenslander?

Shane’s Shocking Start

Australia may have powered past England by 111 runs in their opening World Cup match but it wasn’t a match Shane Watson will keep in the memory bank. Of the 349 runs the co-hosts belted he scored none. The top order all-rounder was gone for a golden duck off Stuart Broad’s bowling in an innings which lasted seconds rather than minutes. Watson was economic without being threatening with the ball. His 3 overs went for just 13 runs but he couldn’t manage a wicket. To add to a tough night at the office youthful all-rounder Mitch Marsh made 23 of 21 balls and took 5 wickets while the under pressure George Bailey notched a half century. The weather delayed Michael Clarke’s comeback but with the skipper set to return against the Black Caps which player will miss out?

World Cup Stats Stack up for Watson

While Watson may be struggling at the moment the stats suggest he’s one of Australia’s most important players when it comes to cricket’s Main Event. This is the 33 year old’s third World Cup and his 16 appearances makes him the Aussie’s second most experienced player at the competition behind Michael Clarke. Out of all the players competing in the 2015 World Cup who’ve had 10 or more innings Watson entered the tournament as the man with the second best average, once again behind the Australian skipper who tops the list on 83. Though Watson’s pre-tournament average of 62 took a dive after his first game shocker. But when it came to the best strike Watson was number one. At 109 his better than a run a ball scoring rate topped that of South African star AB de Villers.

With Cyclone Marcia cancelling Australia’s match against Bangladesh Watson will have gone a full two weeks without a chance to make up for his opening game failure if he gets the nod against New Zealand. That’s a long time to think about getting off the mark ‘next time’ but it’s also given him a ton of time in the nets. With the likes of Scotland and Afghanistan still to come Watson will be eyeing a big World cup score somewhere… But will he get another opportunity?