Shane Watson may turn the ripe old age of 38 in June, but the Aussie veteran has showed no signs of slowing down as he continues to dominate the T20 circuit.
Watson was named player of the tournament after his side Quetta Gladiators claimed the Pakistan Super League title on Sunday.
The Gladiators downed Peshawar Zalmi in the final by eight wickets, chasing down 138 with 13 balls remaining.
They got to the final largely in part to their star Australian import, with Watson carrying over his solid Big Bash form.
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Across the Australian summer, Watson hit 344 runs for Sydney Thunder as they were pipped for a finals spot at the last hurdle. He was overshadowed by teammate Callum Ferguson's 442-run haul, but Watson again skippered the Sydney franchise with typical flare.
In the PSL, Watson plundered 430 runs from 12 innings at a strike rate of 143.81, ending the tournament 73 runs ahead of next-best Kamran Akmal, who also played one more match than the Australian.
The 37-year-old was by far Quetta's best in the tournament, with teammate Ahmed Shehzad (311) the next highest run-scorer for the franchise, ahead of Rilee Roussow (295) and Umar Akmal (277).
🚨🚨🚨 #HanifMohammadCap Update 🚨🚨🚨
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 17, 2019
🧢 @ShaneRWatson33 430 runs 🥇@KamiAkmal23 357 runs 🥈@Cam12Delport 355 runs 🥉#HBLPSL #KhelDeewanoKa #QGvPZ pic.twitter.com/b6PaA2Dz2C
Now preparing to head over for another Indian Premier League campaign with reigning champions Chennai Super Kings, Watson is enjoying his cricket one tournament at a time, regardless of where in the world he is.
Watson hit two centuries for Chennai in IPL11, including an unbeaten 117 in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, ending up with the fifth-most runs in the lucrative tournament.
"It's incredibly special to be here, to play in front of an incredible atmosphere and incredible fans," he told reporters after his heroics in the semi in Karachi.
"Even from the moment I arrived in Karachi, the people of Pakistan have been so incredibly warm and welcoming, as Pakistani people are all around the world.
"To be able to play in an incredible atmosphere the last couple of nights... at some stage, I'm not going to have that opportunity anymore when I finish playing.
"I certainly cherish the opportunities I have to be able to play here.
"You really get caught up in the love of the game of cricket... to see so many people love cricket as much as I do, it's special to be able to share that."
Watson sent Quetta into the final after smacking five fours and half a dozen sixes in a 43-ball 71 against Peshawar in the qualifier.
One of his better performances in the tournament came during the UAE leg, when Watson's 55-ball unbeaten 91 helped Quetta chase down Peshawar's 165 in nearly 18 overs.
Only two players hit more sixes than Watson in the tournament - Asif Ali with 26, and Kieron Pollard with 23 - while he hit more boundaries (43) than any other player.
When asked by a reporter where he gets his appetite for boundaries - and clearing it - from, Watson smiled and suggested it's all about having fun as the years wind down.
"I feel like I did that through most of my career," he said, grinning.
"At the moment, I feel like I'm just staying at my best as much as I can. We're playing on very good wickets here, like we did in the UAE as well.
"Things are going my way as well. When your confidence is high, it's easier to take on the game a bit more, and things are working out."
Best Batsman of the tournament & player of the #HBLPSL 2019, @ShaneRWatson33.
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 17, 2019
Winning captain, @SarfarazA_54.
Man of the Final, Muhammad Hasnain.
Champion Gladiators 💜#KhelDeewanoKa pic.twitter.com/0fy4vLgL6e
