The rewards of resilience
Shane Watson has fought many struggles and his maiden century at the MCG will bring him enormous relief
Brydon Coverdale at the MCG
29-Dec-2009

Shane Watson's maiden ton was the first for Australia this summer • Getty Images
Shane Watson has spent most of the noughties straining under great expectations
and a fragile body that couldn't shoulder the load. On the second-last day
of Test cricket in the decade, Watson was finally unburdened and freed himself
of all the disappointments and heartache that the past few years have
brought him. He can now move on to greater things.
As Watson raised his bat to celebrate his maiden Test century, he looked
relieved more than excited. In part that was because he'd just been dropped
at point on 99 and scrambled a quick single to reach the milestone, enough
to send any batsman's heart racing; but Watson's build-up to this moment
spanned eight years, not just a few nervous deliveries.
Ever since he first stepped out for his national team in March 2002, Watson
has been tipped as the next big thing and the expectations only grew when
Andrew Flintoff's 2005 Ashes showed Australia the value of an allrounder.
For most of his career, Watson has looked like an action figurine and been
just as inflexible and liable to snap. But now that his body is holding together,
the full extent of his talent is on display.
Chris Gayle said this month that Watson was soft. You can't overcome the
hurdles Watson has if you're soft. His list of injuries includes problems
with his back, shoulder, hamstring and calf, and they have kept him out of
major moments like Australia's triumphant 2003 World Cup campaign and the
2006-07 Ashes whitewash.
And yet, after every strain, tear or break, he has remained upbeat about
his future, confident he would return. If he lost his right arm in a
freak accident you'd half expect him to start bowling with his left and declare
he'd be back in the team within a year.
It's a resilience that makes him perfect for Test cricket. Following scores
of 96, 89 and 93 this summer, his persistence was rewarded when he became
the first Australian to reach triple-figures in a Test this season, after the team had managed 20 half-centuries. Having starred with twin hundreds in the Champions Trophy and firmly established himself as a one-day and Test opener, it capped off a fabulous period.
"The last six months have been for me my defining moment," Watson said. "The
last six months have been something I've always dreamt of, being able to
string so much cricket together throughout the Ashes, then the one-dayers
and going on to the Champions Trophy and then on to India as well. For me
leading up to the summer, that was a big accomplishment for me."
Despite the dropped chance on 99, he thoroughly deserved his century. Since
Watson came into the Test line-up as an opener during the Ashes tour, he
has been comfortably Australia's best batsman. He has scored 716
runs at 65.09, faced more balls than any of his team-mates and has more half-centuries to his name than any of his team-mates.
And all this from a makeshift opener. The selectors were criticised for thrusting
Watson, a middle-order player at first-class level, into the opening position
when they dropped Phillip Hughes before the Edgbaston Test. They've been
proven correct. Had Hughes returned to the team at the MCG in place of an
injured Ricky Ponting, Watson might not have even opened.
His technique is sound, he drives and pulls with force and discretion, and
there's a hint of David Boon in the way he shuffles the bat in his hands
at the bowler's release and then moves his body in behind the ball. A combination
of 93 and 120 not out in his first Boxing Day Test, after his previous successes,
means he must stay at the top of the order permanently.
The past decade has been full of hiccups, hurdles and hospital visits but
Watson's resilience got him through. Now it's time for the rewards.
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo