Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson is eagerly waiting to carry his impressive form with the ball into the Caribbean Premier League when the competition starts next week.
World’s top most T20 cricketers around the world will now descend on the Caribbean ahead of the 2016 CPL, with Watson guiding a contingent of six Australian players alongside Mike Hussey, Brad Hodge, Alex Ross, Chris Lynn and current ODI team member Adam Zampa.
They’ll be accompanied by a star-studded list of overseas players including Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers, Faf de Plessis, David Miller, Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill, along with West Indies’ World T20 winning squad members.
It happens to be Watson’s first outing in the Caribbean Premier League and the 35-year-old allrounder is anxiously waiting for his debut with St Lucia Zouks.
“There’s no doubt that this year’s CPL is going to be fiercely competitive,” Watson said.
“There are world-class players playing in the tournament which immediately puts a jolt of excitement in you, even before a ball is bowled and I’m hungrier than ever to try and bring some success to the Zouks.”
Watson enjoyed an impressive stint with the ball playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, as he finished third on the wicket-taking list with 20 wickets. He believes success he came due to a slight change in his technique.
“I had made a few tweaks on the technical side of my bowling and mentally I was trusting my own instincts a bit more, which helped me achieve better consistency.
“I’ve had a better run of consistently better days than previously in my career.
“Even though one door has now closed on my career, I’m as hungry as ever to keep on learning, keep improving my own skills and hopefully keep on contributing to the team.”
Sydney Thunder teammates Watson and Hussey will be united again at the St Lucia Zouks, where they will be playing with West Indies T20 captain Darren Sammy, South African pacer Morne Morkel and batsman Miller.
This year’s Big Bash League player of the tournament Chris Lynn will join the Guyana Amazon Warriors, where he will play alongside in-form leg-spinner Zampa, while new Brisbane Heat signing Ross has been bought by the Jamaica Tallawahs and Brad Hodge has joined the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
Watson was signed in the second round of the CPL draft earlier this year, with a price tag of $130,000 USD. Meanwhile, Hussey, Hodge, and Lynn were selected from the fourth round in the $90,000 USD category.
Zampa was bought for $60,000 while Ross was picked up for only $7,500.
The Caribbean Premier League starts on 29th June when Trinbago Knight Riders face St Lucia Zouks in Trinidad.