Watson appointed ACA president

SYDNEY: Former all-rounder Shane Watson has been appointed president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), it was decided at the body’s annual general meeting on Tuesday.

Watson will now head the extended ten-member board, which includes three other new appointments: current players Pat Cummins and Kristen Beams and former player Lisa Sthalekar.

“Through a period of immense change, the players have been, and will continue to be, a strong voice in protecting what’s made our game of cricket great, while embracing opportunities that change inevitably brings,” Watson said.

One of the recent Cricket Australia initiatives Watson brought up for special praise was the parental policy for women cricketers. “This policy, amid a host of other changes, assures Australian women that cricket is a sport which can now support you and your family,” he said.

Watson, an all-rounder who battled a fragile body for the best part of her career and became more of a specialist batsman by the end of his run, played 59 Tests, 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Australia between 2002 and 2016. A popular pick for T20 franchises around the world for his big hitting, Watson has continued to play the format.