It's been a relatively quiet week for Test cricket but there have been some fine performances in one-day cricket. Ian Bell proved that he is more than just an inconsistent five-day player by leading from the front for England against the PM's XI at Canberra with an unbeaten 124 from 102 balls. This was followed by a few brisk but meaty innings to give his side's T20 line-up a solid platform, although his score of 23 today was less brilliant. Nevertheless he has been England's best player this week.
Across the Indian Ocean, Ntini may have officially retired but his successor as South Africa's best black cricketer, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, produced two excellent one-day performances against India. His stats of 4-31 and 4-22 have contributed to a career ODI average of under 20, albeit in only 16 games. If only he can now bring his left-arm swing talent to bear in Tests, he could be the real deal for the next decade. Daniel Vettori reminded us all today that he can still bat to keep his New Zealand in the Test versus Pakistan.
However, the runaway winner of my first Player of the Week award of 2011 is Australia's Shane Watson. One of the few Aussies not to emerge from the Ashes drubbing with reputation destroyed, the 29 year-old Queenslander has bounced back from the Test debacle with some brilliant all-round play, first in the two T20 fixtures then in the first 50-over international against India. On Wednesday he took Graeme Swann apart with the bat then claimed a fantastic 4-15 with the ball in what was ultimately a losing battle. Two days later, he again conceded fewer than five an over and this time it was a match-winning performance. These days, he has become a reliable Test opener who bowls a bit but in one-dayers he is a genuine all-rounder of world-class.
Averaging 42 with the bat and only 28 with the ball, 'Watto' has come to encapsulate the best of Aussie cricket, especially as Ricky Ponting has cut an increasingly forlorn figure, Michael Clarke's form has also deserted him and Mitch Johnson's mood has turned darker than his tattoos. Never the most athletic-looking bloke, the shaggy-haired Watson seems to have overcome old injury problems and is now a fit fielder with very large, safe hands in the slips. While no longer one of the up-and-coming brigade, Australia fans should revel in his talent, which was exemplified by today's thrilling innings of 161 not out in just 150 balls to beat England. Even Andrew Strauss had to concede it was "one of the great one-day innings", the fifth highest in ODIs by an Aussie batsman and rounded off by an emphatic six over long-on off Shahzad. Shane must now be one of the major figures to watch in the World Cup but England must hope it's not them at the receiving end again.
