Record-breaking Watson calls time on cricket career

THE record-breaking Saltires batsman Ryan Watson last night announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

The 35-year-old, born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa, enjoyed a glittering club and international career after settling in Scotland in the late 1990s.

He became the country’s leading scorer of all time with almost 5,000 runs and still shares the record for the most caps – 194 – with former team-mate Craig Wright. He earned the last of them against England last year but has since slipped out of the international reckoning.

Watson said: “I’ve decided to make a clean break from cricket because I have to accept that my Scotland days are done and I find that club cricket doesn’t give me enough incentive. I’ve had a fantastic run and could never have imagined achieving everything that I have when I first came to Scotland. To have captained the national team and played in three World Cups is something I will always be extremely proud of.”

Watson made his Saltires debut in 2002 and the following year made history when he scored a match-winning 103 from just 43 balls – the third fastest one-day century of all time – in a Totesport League match against Somerset.

He was a mainstay of Scotland’s Intercontinental Cup winning team in 2004 and the side that won the ICC Trophy the following year.

“During his cap career he also contributed 133 wickets with a mixture of off-spin and medium-pace bowling.

Watson was appointed captain when Wright resigned in 2007 but the team won just 16 of their 63 matches under his leadership while the player himself suffered a personal loss of form which caused him to step down in April 2009. Watson first arrived in Scotland as professional at Meigle and later played for Falkland and Forfarshire. He holds the record for the most runs scored in SNCL history – 6889 – and is also among the top twelve wicket-takers.

He added: “My one regret is that I have just kind of drifted off the international stage in the last year-and-a-half when I maybe felt I still had something to contribute. But I have some fantastic memories and now I can concentrate on other challenges – like getting my golf handicap down!”

l Michael Hussey’s defiant 95 provided the only real resistance as Australia were bowled out for 273 by Sri Lanka on the opening day of the first Test yesterday. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers, dismissing Australia opener Shane Watson with his first delivery as well as skipper Michael Clarke and the in-form Ricky Ponting for 44.