Navi Mumbai: Shane Watson’s 48-ball century was overshadowed by an equally aggressive 44-ball undefeated 94 from Lendl Simmons that helped the West Indies Masters outclass the Australia Masters by 7 wickets in the second match of the inaugural International Masters League (IML) at the DY Patil Sports Stadium here on Monday.
Continuing the trend of producing high-scoring matches in the IML, the sizeable crowd at the stadium were treated to Shane Watson’s signature strokes, adding a touch of nostalgia after West Indian batting great Brian Lara elected to field on winning the toss, earlier in the evening.
The 43-year-old Watson never looked as if he has left playing, as he treated the West Indies bowlers with disdain, to notch up his half-century off a mere 27 balls, and consumed another 21 deliveries for his next fifty. In the process, Watson was also involved in several big partnerships that set the tone for the massive target.
Watson, who went out to open the innings with Ben Dunk (15 off 11 balls), started with a 34-run partnership, before forging an 83-run partnership for the second wicket with Callum Ferguson (13 off 15). He was also involved in a 54-run stand for the third wicket with Daniel Christian (32 off 15), which set up the huge score for the Aussies.
Despite losing his partners at the other end, Watson ensured he remained in the middle and provided the impetus to the Australian innings. He took a special liking for left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, dispatching him over the fence for a couple of sixes and an identical number of fours to milk 21 runs from the 9th over of their innings.