Shane Watson and the tap on the shoulder?

[umina panther]

Watto is lucky the team is winning

Honestly don't think it matters with him. Seems to have a free pass

 

[herbert henry1908]

Another piss weak performance from Watson.

Please will a real no.3 please stand up so we can piss this pretender off?!

 

[chigurh]

He is just so robotic. He must murder the bowling machine.

The stars need to align for him to play a lengthy innings, because he is just going to keep playing the way he does.

 

[Gidley Up]

"Oh no"
– Shane Watson, Ashes Series 2013/14

 

[BunniesMan]

Just not top order material. It's been clear for months and even years. Play him at 6, bowl him like a proper 5th bowler. If and when he breaks down f**k him off permanently. Simple.

 

[Helmet Man]

I used to faith in him that he will come good and mature into the no. 3 position but he is proving himself to be the shittest merkin in the team.

 

[Blade23]

With Broad injured England's attack is now rudderless I am sure nuffs like Watson will now cash in.

 

[bazza]

Good chance of a 50 in the second innings to keep his place for another 6 months

 

[God-King Dean]

WilliamGilbertGrace.

 

[madunit]

We win this test, he'll score 4 tons in his nect 4 inns of this series. Daffodil Watson, as mentally weak as Daisy.

 

[The Charlatan]

If he fails in Melbourne and Sydney, he should be merkin punted straight back to Ipswich, never to be allowed to wear creams again.

 

[Helmet Man]

Bring WilliamGilbertGracey back !

 

[BunniesMan]

If he wasn't dropped while his average was in the mid 50s he'd have 6000 test runs by now at 55 and be the batsman of his generation.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

If he was that good he wouldn't be averaging low 30's :lol:

 

[Wato]

Watson has many flaws and plays some really dumb shots but his the only guy to have scored 100s at three since ponting left the position.Who could genuinely replace Watson at three? WilliamGilbertGrace failed there already and is the only player better at wasting starts then Watson. Khawaja needs to expand his game before he is ready to take the step up to test cricket. At this point in time Watson is the best option at three. In reality South Africa and India are the only two sides with too shelf number threes, the rest struggle with consistency like Watson.

 

[Helmet Man]

Wato critiquing Watto.

 

[lockyno1]

The issue with him and I am his biggest supporter...is he is just not that bright between the ears!

He should be playing EVERY innings like he did today. He is not a stodgy number 3, he is a strokemaker, he should be playing his strokes. Play every innings like a ODI innings where he has 10+ tons! That is Watson at his best. Hopefully Clarke tells him to stop defending and look to score, that is using his talent for the best of the team. If he is told to survive, he gets frustrated and then he plays one of his many stupid shots to get out. If he looks to score, he'll get more hundreds.

 

[umina panther]

Well he can't be number 3 then Hoover Boy

 

[TheParraboy]

The issue with him and I am his biggest supporter...is he is just not that bright between the ears!

He should be playing EVERY innings like he did today. He is not a stodgy number 3, he is a strokemaker, he should be playing his strokes. Play every innings like a ODI innings where he has 10+ tons! That is Watson at his best. Hopefully Clarke tells him to stop defending and look to score, that is using his talent for the best of the team. If he is told to survive, he gets frustrated and then he plays one of his many stupid shots to get out. If he looks to score, he'll get more hundreds.

I don't buy that

At test level you will more often than not at the top order get tight bowling or dodgy conditions that demands respect, not stroke playing.

Yesterday Englands best bowler wasn't around, and Anderson has been woefully out of form, Bresnan hasn't bowled for months. Sunshine could assume a ODI mode mentality, in this instance (crap bowling) he is one of the best going around. He wont get this type of freedom in South Africa

 

[BunniesMan]

locky, test cricket is not ODI cricket. Especially in the top 3 or 4. If he was down the order he would have more freedom to play his extravagant stroke making game. But when you come in at 1 down the worst thing you can do is make it 2 down quickly and start a collapse. Tests are 5 days and in every 1st innings you want to bat for well over a day. That doesn't happen if your number 3 treats it like a one day game.

There is a place for him in the team, it just shouldn't be at number 3.