It wasn’t quite revenge for losing the Champions Trophy semi-final but an Australian Masters team featuring Shane Watson demolished an Indian team featuring Sachin Tendulkar in the International Masters League.
Watson, 43, and Ben Dunk, who played five T20s for Australia, smashed the Indian bowlers for a combined 17 sixes in Vaddora a day after Steve Smith’s team went down in Dubai.
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Both openers made unbeaten centuries, Watson not out on 110 off just 52 balls, with seven sixes, while Dunk smashed 10 sixes in his 53-ball score of 132 as their team made a staggering 1-269 off 20 overs.
A sizzling 64 off just 33 balls from Tendulkar, which included a straight drive for six that had everyone, including Watson, gasping, wasn’t enough for victory as former Australian spinner Xavier Doherty took 5-25 to roll the home side for 174.
Watch Watson and Tendulkar’s highlights in the video above
Watson was joined in the Australian line-up by a bevy of former Australian teammates including Shaun Marsh, Ben Hilfenhaus and Dan Christian, who came out of retirement to play in the Big Bash last season.
While batting seemed easy, Watson conceded bowling was always harder as players got older.
“I’m not going to be able to move that fast over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“For the bowlers its much more difficult physically to get your body up and going. You can’t pus yourself to get our skills up where you want. From a batting perspective, we got a few more runs to make sure things were safer.
“It’s as good as it gets to be able to think at this stage of our lives and careers we could get this opportunity to be out in the middle, to pay against someone like Sachin Tendulkar, to see him do his thing which was ridiculously good, and to pay with so many of my good friends, it’s an incredible concept.
“:If people aren’t entertained at home I don’;t know how we are going to entertain you.”
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au