Shane Watson goes into bat for the game’s future

Shane Watson is going into bat for Australian families to ensure that cricket stays a sport for the masses and not the elite.

Shane Watson is going into bat for Australian families to ensure that cricket stays a sport for the masses and not the elite.

After facing down the world’s best during his decorated career at the highest level, the retired champion is now taking on a different sort of foe – the mighty juggernaut that are cricket’s manufacturing companies.

It can cost parents in excess of $1000 to kit out their kids for a season of cricket, and Watson is determined to break a cycle which is sidelining players from staying in the sport they love.

Growing up, Watson’s father was in the air force and his mother the administrative assistant at his high school, yet they were able to afford a bat, pads and gloves for their son to pursue his passion.

Watson’s eyes were opened to the exorbitant prices now being charged when his son, Will, 7, took up cricket himself and he fears the game he has dedicated his life to is no longer accessible for all Australians.

Former Australian cricket star Shane Watson with son Will, 7, at the SCG.

Now Watson has spent the past 12 months developing his own range of bats and gear – produced anonymously by one of the best cricket manufacturers in the world – in a bid to save parents hundreds of dollars and keep kids in cricket.

“I love the game of cricket. I want as many young boys and girls to be able to have the opportunity to play the game and when I looked at how expensive it was starting to get for people to even be able to start playing cricket, it was too strong a pull for me to ignore,” said Watson, who has just launched his T20 Stars cricket gear.

“I want young boys and girls to have the same opportunity as I had.

“It was a realisation now that my son is really obsessed with cricket, I started looking through all the cricket catalogues that are out there and the costs compared to when I was coming through.

“My mum and dad didn’t have heaps of money but I never went without.

“Cricket was never an elitist sport. There was never a barrier to entry of playing. But it’s away from that in quite a big way over the past 10-15 years.”

Watson is eternally grateful for the support he received from cricket gear sponsors when he was playing, but feels something needs to be done to try and keep the big brands in check and bring the market back under control.

Watson has spent the past 12 months developing his own range of bats and gear.

For $611, T20 Stars can provide a high quality bat, pads and gloves for seniors, whereas going with the big brands for those items would cost about $1000.

Parents can be forking out over $1300 for bats alone with the established brands like Kookaburra.

Another area Watson has targeted to try and make the game more affordable is $17 cricket balls, with clubs and schools often financially bruised by the simple task of trying to keep enough balls in the kit bag for training.

“Knowing what the wholesale prices are for the products and then seeing the mark-ups and what the retail price is for a lot of the products, look it actually made me pretty angry to be honest,” said Watson.

“We need everyone who loves the game of cricket to be able to have access to buy quality gear that they can afford.”

Watson hits a boundary wearing the Baggy Green .Picture Gregg Porteous

As much as Watson is on a crusade to take the financial strain out of cricket, the range is also a passion project for an old pro who has always been extremely particular about what bats and gear should feel and look like.

“I’ve always been so particular about my gear and for the protection for gloves and pads I’m so particular on it. With my bats, every little detail,” he said.

“You want to have the best bats you possibly can and a big part of that is the shape and all the exact features and the reason why a bat is shaped a certain way. I’ve been able to get it exactly how I want it which is awesome and I’ve loved being so hands on with the production.”

More information at www.t20stars.com

Originally published as Shane Watson goes into bat for the game’s future