CSK all-rounder Shane Watson announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Chennai : Australia and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shane Watson has announced retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing an end to his two-decade long career. With the announcement, the recently played IPL 2020 match against Kolkata Knight Riders becomes his final professional match.

He finished his final IPL season playing for CSK with 299 runs at 29.90.

In 2016, Shane Watson had announced retirement from the international cricket.

“It all started out as a dream, as a young kid, saying to my mum as I watched a Test match as a five-year-old, ‘I wanna play cricket for Australia.’ And now as I officially announce my retirement from all cricket, I feel crazily lucky to have lived out my dream, and then some,” Watson said in a video on Tuesday.

“It really does feel like the right time. Knowing that I’ve played my last game of cricket, ever, for my beloved CSK, who’ve been so incredibly good to me over the last three years. To think that I’m finishing up my playing days as a 39-year-old after all of my injury setbacks that I’ve had along the way, I feel so ridiculously fortunate,” he added.

In the IPL, Shane Watson has won two titles – one with Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and then another with CSK in 2018.

The 39-year-old played for various T20 Leagues around the globe and retires with 8821 runs and 216 wickets from 343 matches.