Melbourne: Shane Watson was at the batting crease along with Steven Smith when Australia reached the winning target to win the World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Watson had not stopped smiling since lifting the World Cup on Sunday night and talked freely during the Federation square celebrations on Monday.
“I cannot imagine I have become a two-time World Cup team winner,” he said, also being part of the World Cup winning Australian team in West Indies in 2007.
When asked to compare the two World Cups, Watson said: “Comparing World Cup wins like comparing two children. I don’t know. I don’t have a second child yet. The first one was obviously very special in the West Indies but to be able to play at home and to be able to win is what dreams are made of. I’m very lucky to have been born at the right time when there’s a World Cup at home. For us to play as well as we have at home is a dream-come-true. It’s still hard for me to get my head around it.”
Watson also said he is lucky to have been able to play with some of the finest fast bowlers. “I’ve been very lucky to play with some great fast bowlers. Our fast bowlers during the 2007 World Cup were as good as it got but the way these guys performed throughout the tournament, especially Mitchell Starc leading was phenomenal and Mitchell Johnson coming behind him from the same end. Josh Hazlewood too has complemented the attack incredibly well, while Jimmy Faulkner doing what he does. They all complement each other. Against India, Pakistan and the Kiwis, we just didn’t give them a chance to get in all game.”
When asked about Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz’s fiery spell that he withstood at the quarter finals, Watson said: “I’ve thought about that a lot. More so about my own wicket. I needed a lot of luck to be able to get through that period. The way that I got that luck worked out well not just for me but the team as well. It is the most important one-day innings that I’ve played.”
Picking Starc for special praise, Watson said: “It’s incredible to see how well he’s bowled against the best batsmen in the world - the pace, the swing, the control that he’s got, the variations. It’s amazing - his skill sets through all different phases of the game. It’s amazing to think someone so young has been able to do what he has on such a big stage. Incredible to see him also do that in Test cricket as well. We saw him turn it around in Sydney. This could be a stepping stone for him.”
To a query whether getting dropped from the one-day side was a big blow and had made him more determined, Watson said: “Hopefully the selectors will continue to pick me. When I got dropped, for me it wasn’t the end. I knew I was very close to turning things around. I was very lucky to get another opportunity.”
