Shane Watson and Lee Furlong’s cricket kit company T20 Stars ceases operations

Shane Watson’s revolutionary business was set to shake up the cricket world, but after only two years the company is done for.

Shane Watson’s kit company will be winding up. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Shane Watson’s cricket equipment company, T20 Stars, is winding up operations after just two years on the market.

Watson released the range of equipment with a unique direct-to-consumer online model in 2021 with the hopes of making cricket equipment more affordable for consumers, but that has come to an end as the Australian cricket stalwart looks to other opportunities.

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Speaking exclusively to news.com.au, Watson confirmed that the operation, a joint venture with his wife Lee, would be winding up, a voluntary decision not made by any external administrators.

Shane Watson and partner Lee (right) started the brand as a joint venture.

“The company is winding down,” Watson confirmed.

“It was wholly and solely mine and Lee’s choice to wind down T20 Stars.

“Obviously it was an incredible learning experience for me, and something that I obviously loved, being able to just come up with the idea and then put all the pieces together to launch (it) and get it out to the world, especially the Australian market.”

The website remains in operation, but all products are listed as “sold out”, with leftover stock being liquidated.

Watson said that while sales were firm throughout the operation of the business, his time was becoming more and more stretched.

He recently signed as the head coach of American Major League Cricket franchise, the San Francisco Unicorns, where he has signed former Australian captain Aaron Finch alongside the Melbourne Stars’ Marcus Stoinis.

“There were solid sales through the couple of years that T20 Stars was up and running, but it ended up getting to a stage over the last six months, that I just had to pick and choose where my time was spent,” he said.

Watson’s brand sought to make cricket equipment more affordable.

Cricket equipment is a difficult industry at the best of times, and Watson’s model of an entirely online operation offering free returns within 30 days was unique among its competitors.

“The reason why I went online was to be able to make it more accessible, make it more affordable for the customers, but also make the business more viable as well,” he said.

“That was the biggest challenge with the T20 Stars model, was being an online business and getting it out to the people so they trusted the quality of the products.

“It’s certainly a challenging industry, and there’s some big players, but that’s the reason why I went all-in.”

At a point, T20 Stars had a strong online following, with the likes of cricket podcast duo Grade Cricketer and cricket-mad comedian Benjamin French endorsing the products alongside some of New South Wales’ hottest young talents.

18-year-old Sam Konstas, largely considered one of the nation’s most exciting young batters, was signed to the brand, but it is understood he has now returned to Sydney brand Kingsport for the upcoming season, having also been selected for the Australian under-19s for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

The demise of T20 Stars is not the first in the Australian market, with Australian companies outside the major manufacturers only now generally existing on smaller commercial scales, pushed to the sidelines by the economics of willow distribution and overseas labour.

Master batmaker Julian Millichamp went out of business in the early 2010s, with his brand Screaming Cat considered one of the finest in the world.

Young gun Sam Konstas endorsed the brand.

Millichamp’s work was trusted by top professional cricketers the world over, with Adam Gilchrist mentioning in his autobiography that players would use Millichamp’s bats with their own sponsor’s stickers (a now-common practice at professional level).

One Australian manufacturer says it’s a difficult existence to be profitable.

“Cricket gear is hard,” they said.

“It’s a tough gig to be profitable.

“It’s all pretty tight.

“Willow isn’t cheap, and we have to guarantee it for a year even though it’s just wood and people don’t look after it.”

Watson started the brand after retiring from the sport in 2016 following a decorated decade-long career.

He was the world’s top-ranked all-rounder for a record 120 consecutive weeks between 2011 and 2014, and won three World Cups and two Ashes series, later becoming one of the world’s most destructive limited-overs batters.