Shane Watson: No longer the bridesmaid & finally the bride

 
Jesus had been given some tough challenges before.

There was that day he had to walk on water, or the wedding when he had to turn water into wine, or even that time he had to feed 5,000 people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of manky fish.

But yesterday, his task was much more difficult and even less unlikely.

At least it was Sunday, which apparently makes miracles more likely – something about the power of prayer – but this was the ultimate challenge.

Jesus had tried several times before. Eight times he had made it possible for him to reach 30 during the Ashes series, but each time the vain one had thrown his wicket away and as for his running between the wickets...

Then there was that Twenty 20 match, where Jesus had enabled him to score a blistering fifty and take four wickets for not many, but then some spotty debutant called Woakes stole the show at the death. Always the bridesmaid never the bride.

Confidence wasn’t high at the Pearly Gates yesterday. Some shoddy fielding and cack-handed wicket-keeping had enabled England to score 295.

How were Australia going to win from here? And how was Jesus supposed to perform the miracle that would be Shane Watson getting to three figures and leading his team home?

But just to prove that miracles can happen, or more likely that every dog can have its day, Watson went out there and did just that. Yesterday he finally became the bride.

We still don’t like him at the Reverse Sweep, and we didn’t watch the whole innings (anyone that watches all seven ODI deserves a medal in our opinion), but any score of 161 not out in a winning chase in an ODI is a fantastic knock.

Divine intervention occurs in the strangest of places. We may yet see Michael Clarke scoring at a run-a-ball or Steve Smith becoming a test-class leg-spinner, or even Andrew Hilditch admitting that he get it horribly wrong and voluntarily falling on his sword? Ok, even divine intervention cannot make everything possible.

Where next?

Zeroes: Steven Smith

Zeroes: Shane Watson

Zeroes: Andrew Hilditch

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Comments

[Vim]

I reckon someone who has scored a ton in the semi and the final of a big tournament must be on to his second or third marriage at least.

[The Reverse Sweep]

Sometimes my loathing of Watson gets the better of me Vim! (Through gritted teeth) he is a very good ODI opener, but more of a Test number five or six.