Shane Watson can still play for Australian cricket team, says Marcus Stoinis

Australian all rounder Marcus Stoinis believes that Chennai Super Kings’ hero Shane Watson is still good enough to play for the Aussies.

Watson, who retired from the international game in 2016, guided CSK to their third Indian Premier League title with a blistering 117 run knock from just 57 balls.

“He’s still good enough to play for Australia, for sure,” cricket.au.com quoted Stoinis as saying to RSN on Monday.

“(But) I think he enjoys having family time. He played a lot of cricket for Australia in a demanding time, so I think he’s just enjoying playing the odd tournament and then going back (to his family).”

Stoinis also feels that Watson was not valued enough by the Australian public during the course of his 14-year-long international career.

READ | Shane Watson grateful for Chennai Super Kings opportunity after 2017 disappointment

“We sat down over there (in India) and he’s mentored me for a couple of years now. His hunger to keep getting better at the end of his career, it’s no coincidence why he’s so good,” revealed the 28-year-old.

“I don’t think the Australian public realised how good he was when he was playing for Australia.”

Watson, whose disastrous IPL campaign in 2017 saw him score just 71 runs in eight matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, scored 555 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.64 this year for CSK this year.

“I watched him closely at the Big Bash and there were signs that he was in good form. I had no doubt he was going to make an impact. Fitness was an issue as it is a long tournament but he is more professional than even I thought. He is a bit broken now,” CSK’s coach Stephen Fleming said comparing Watson’s last two seasons.

First Published: May 28, 2018 11:36 IST