New Era for Quetta Gladiators: Meet Head Coach Shane Watson and His Team

In December 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced five teams for the first edition of the Pakistan Super League. The Quetta franchise was acquired by Omar Associates, a company based in Karachi, for a sum of US$11 million. Rilee Rossouw presently leads the team as captain, with Shane Watson serving as the head coach and Moin Khan as the team's manager. Abdul Razzaq is associated with the franchise in the capacity of an assistant coach while Sir Viv Richards is the team’s mentor. Quetta Gladiators emerged as the runners-up in 2016 and 2017 and clinched victory in 2019.

Image courtesy: X (Quetta Gladiators)

Shane Watson – the new head coach of Quetta Gladiators

Quetta Gladiators inked a deal with former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, appointing him as the head coach of the franchise ahead of PSL 2024. This announcement marked a significant transition from Moin Khan, who served as the head coach of the franchise for eight years. Watson previously played for the Quetta Gladiators from 2018 to 2020.

Watson kicked off his PSL journey with Islamabad United before later joining Quetta Gladiators. His presence proved pivotal in securing the franchise's first title victory in 2019. Watson's outstanding performance earned him the Player of the Tournament award, thanks to his impressive tally of 430 runs at a striking strike rate of 143.81.

Image courtesy: X (Quetta Gladiators)

Shane Watson international career

Shane Watson represented the Australian national cricket team from 2002 to 2016 both a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He held the prestigious title of the world's No. 1 all-rounder in T20Is for a remarkable 150 weeks. During his tenure with the Australian team, Watson contributed significantly to their victories in the Cricket World Cup in 2007 and 2015, as well as the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009. Notably, he was awarded the player of the match in the finals of both the 2006 and 2009 tournaments, clinching victory for his team with crucial performances.

Watson was a part of the Australian team that participated in the 2016 T20 World Cup held in India. However, in between the tournament, Watson declared his retirement from international cricket, effective after the T20 World Cup. His last appearance on the international stage came during Australia's defeat to India in their final group match.

Watson had an impressive career overall, playing in 59 Test matches, 198 ODIs, and 58 T20Is. In Tests, he scored a total of 3731 runs at an average of 35.19, including four centuries. In ODIs, he amassed 5757 runs with an average of 40.54. In T20Is, Watson showed his skills with 8821 runs at an average of 29.30, along with a strong strike rate of 138.30. Not just a batsman, Watson also made an impact with the ball, taking 75 wickets in Tests, 168 in ODIs, and 48 in T20Is. His all-round performance across formats made him a valuable asset to the Australian cricket team.

Shane Watson's IPL career

Image courtesy: X (CSK)

Shane Watson also had an impactful franchise cricket career. He played for Rajasthan Royals in seven out of the first eight IPL seasons, debuting in 2008. He excelled in the inaugural season, earning the Player of the Tournament award. In 2013, Watson scored his first T20 century against Chennai Super Kings, eventually securing another Player of the Tournament title that year. In 2014, he took on the role of captain for Rajasthan Royals and became the highest-paid overseas player.

After the Royals faced suspension from the league in 2016, Watson entered the IPL auction for the first time since 2008. He was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore for AU$1.96 million, making him the highest-paid Australian player. While he captained the team for some matches in 2017, he later moved to Chennai Super Kings for the subsequent season. During his time with Chennai, scored two IPL centuries in 2018. Watson concluded his IPL career with CSK in 2020 and retired from all forms of cricket on November 2, 2020. 

Shane Watson in other T20 Leagues

Shane Watson joined Sydney Thunder in the 2015 BBL season, leading them to victory as captain. He stayed with the team until the 2018/19 season, scoring his first BBL century in 2018–19. Watson also played a significant role in the PSL, representing Islamabad United initially before moving to Quetta Gladiators. He later became the Head Coach for Quetta Gladiators in PSL 9. Additionally, he featured as a marquee player in the Caribbean Premier League for two seasons.

Following his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2020, Shane Watson transitioned into a coaching role, joining the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals as an assistant coach in 2022. Last year, Watson took on the role of head coach for the San Francisco Unicorns franchise in the Major League Cricket (MLC) league.

Image courtesy: X (Quetta Gladiators)

While Watson is the head coach, the role of the assistant coach has been taken up by former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzak, who played international cricket from 1996 to 2013. 
Shaun Tait, former Australian fast bowler, was appointed as the new bowling coach for the Gladiators for PSL 9. Tait, aged 40, previously served as Pakistan's coach on a one-year contract from 2022 to 2023.

Meanwhile, Sir Viv Richards has been with the Gladiators since 2016 as their mentor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Viv Richards represented West Indies in 121 Test matches and 187 ODIs, amassing over 15,000 runs. His remarkable tally includes 24 centuries in Tests and 11 in ODIs.

Coming to the squad, Rilee Rossouw took over the captaincy reins from Sarfaraz Ahmed for PSL 9.