Shane Watson hints at retirement from Tests after axing

Shane Watson said that he was “absolutely shattered” to be axed from the team.

Australian vice-captain, Shane Watson is thinking of retirement from Test cricket after he and 3 other players from the Australian squad which is touring India were sacked on Monday.

Australia lost to India in the first two Tests at Chennai and Hyderabad. As the team geared up for the third Test beginning on Thursday, the team management made a shocking announcement that Watson, two frontline pacemen James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja had been dropped from the team on disciplinary grounds.

The players were asked to submit a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team’s performance after the embarrassing defeat by an innings and 135 runs in the second Test at Hyderabad. The four players failed to report their suggestions to coach Mickey Arthur.

Within hours of the shocking announcement, Watson packed his bags and headed back home, raising speculation of a revolt within the team.

Cricket Australia insisted that Watson was only going back home to be with his pregnant wife. Watson earlier was planning to miss the 4th Test for the same reason.

“I was about to communicate that to Mickey and the leadership group today but they obviously beat me to it by telling me that I was not selected for this Test match,” Watson said.

The 31-year-old Watson said that he was “absolutely shattered” to be axed from the team and would weigh up his future in Test cricket.

“Any time you are suspended for a Test match unless you do something unbelievably wrong, and absolutely everyone knows what those rules are – I think it is very harsh,” Watson said.

“I am at a stage where I am sort of weighing up my future and what I want to do with my cricket in general, to be honest,” he said.

After this incident, the following players are left in the Australia squad:

Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty, Nathan Lyon, Brad Haddin (wk).