PSL 2024: Shane Watson To Join Quetta Gladiators As Head Coach: Reports

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has joined Quetta Gladiators as the head coach ahead of PSL 2024. He replaced Moeen Khan who was promoted as the Team Director of the side after being the coach of the side for 8 years.

Reports in ESPN Cricinfo say that the contract between Watson and Quetta Gladiators is finalized and a formal announcement will be made later on Wednesday. Watson’s appointment has been made with the intention that he revives the fortunes of the franchise and takes them to the playoffs in a brand new season. Quetta has not made it to the playoffs of PSL in the last four seasons.

Shane Watson Played For Quetta Gladiators Between 2018-2020

The Gladiators reached the finals of the PSL in three of the first four seasons winning the title in 2019. Watson played for the Gladiators for three seasons between 2018-2020. He was the leading run-scorer during their victorious campaign in 2019, hitting 430 runs at a strike rate of 143.81.

The Gladiators who were at their peak for the first four editions of the PSL, have lost their reputation in the last few years. They stuck with Moeen Khan as the coach and are expected to continue with Sarfaraz Ahmed as the skipper in the upcoming season.

Speaking about Watson’s coaching experience, he served as the Assistant Coach of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 alongside Ricky Ponting the franchise head coach.

In 190 ODIs, he scored 5757 runs at 40.54 with a strike rate of 90.44 and took 168 wickets at 31.79. He was part of two World Cup-winning Australia sides – in 2007 and 2015. In T20Is, he made 1462 runs at a strike rate of 145.32 and took 48 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of just 7.65.

Talking about his stats as a Test cricketer, Watson played 59 Test matches and scored 3731 runs at an average of 35.2 with four centuries and 24 fifties. He scored at a strike rate of 52.59 in the format.

The PSL 2024 season kicks off from February 8-March 24, 2024. The matches will be played in Multan, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore.

Also Read: “We Don’t Expect Everyone To Play..”- Rahul Dravid