1) Shane Robert Watson was born on 17 June, 1981 in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
2) Shane Watson is a scholarship holder from AIS (Australian Cricket Academy). watson received it in the year 2000
3) Only Player to win 4 Consecutive Player of the Match Awards in ICC Event History
4) Voted the Man of the Tournament in the IPL Record two times in 2008 and 2013
5) Shane Watson Became Highest paid Australian cricketer in 2011
6) Shane watson is highest paid cricketer outside of india earning over US$5.9 million in 2012, 2013 and 2014
7) Watson married Lee Furlong, a former presenter with Fox Sports. He has two children
8) Only player to have held number 1 ranking for both batting and all-rounder rankings in T20I
9) Only player to post a half-century and take three wickets in the same match three times in T20I
10) In the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy Final, Australia defeated West Indies and won the tournament. Watson was given the Man of the Match award for his contribution of 57 runs and taking 2 wickets
11) At the crease Watson is an aggressive brutal batsman with a broad chest, resembling a right-handed disciple of Matthew Hayden, and someone who often doesn’t need to follow-through to gain a boundary
12) Shane Watson is the only player to have won the ICC player of the year award in all three formats
13) Highest One Day International (ODI) batting average of all Australian opening batsmen who have scored over 1000 runs
14) Debuting at the SCG against Pakistan in January 2005, as a blond-haired 23-year-old, he scored 31 and captured the prize scalp of Younis Khan as his first Test wicket
15) After making his ODI debut in 2002, Watson was a regular member of the side but 3 stress fractures just before the 2003 World Cup forced him to sit out of the tournament
16) Only player to score a century and have taken four wickets in an innings in all forms of cricket
17) Played 12 ICC events, which is the most by an Australian (6 ICC World T20s, 3 ICC World Cups, 2 ICC Champion trophies, 1 ICC Super Series)
18) Shane’s highest ODI score is 185 not out in 96 balls against Bangladesh in 2011. He hit 15 fours and 15 sixes in the match which broke several ODI records
19) Awards and Honors :-
* Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: 2002
* Australian ODI Player of the Year: 2010, 2011, 2012
* Allan Border Medal: 2010, 2011
* McGilvray Medal 2010
* Australian Test Player of the Year: 2011
* Australian Twenty20 Player of the Year: 2012, 2013.
1) Michael Clarke was born on 2 April, 1981 in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
2) Michael Clarke's father used to own an indoor sports centre
3) Michael Clarke is the first and only Australian batsman to score Test centuries on both home and away debuts. Clarke scored 151 against India in Bangalore and 141 against New Zealand at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia: both in 2004
4) Clarke’s highest Test batting score of 329* against India, in 2012 at Sydney is the highest Test score at the SCG, and the 4th best Test score of all time by an Australian
5) The 35-year old is also the first and only Test batsman to score four double centuries in a calendar year. Clarke achieved the feat at the Adelaide Oval in November, 2012 when he played a superb knock of 230 runs
6) Michael Clarke best Test bowling figures of 6 for 9 came against India, Mumbai, 2004–05 thus ensuring a memorable series win for the Aussies
7) Michael Clarke captained Australia in the under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000
8) Besides being a fighter on the cricket field, Clarke is also a fighter in real life. Clarke was diagnosed with chronic back pain at the age of just 17 years in 1998 and Skin Cancer in 2005. However, he overcame both to play for Australia till 2015
9) Clarke also made 210 in the Adelaide Test in the same series in 2012 against India thereby becoming the third batsman after Don Bradman and Wally Hammond to score a triple century and double century in the same series
10) A brilliant slip fielder, Clarke took 125 catches in Tests and 106 in ODIs. Clarke is one of the few players who are equally good at throwing with either hand
11) Michael Clarke led Australia in 74 ODIs, of which Australia won 50. He finished his ODI career with 7981 runs from 245 matches with 8 centuries and 58 half-centuries. Clarke also made more than 8000 runs with an average close to 50 in Tests
12) Michael Clarke made his professional debut with New South Wales at age 19
13) Under Clarke, Australia won their 4th ICC ODI World Cup earlier this year at home. He played a significant role in the final against the Kiwis scoring 72. Clarke has been a part of 2 ODI World Cups (2007 and 2015) and a Champions Trophy (2006) winning sides
14) Clarke first Ashes century came in December 2006, when he hit 124 at the Adelaide Oval to help Australia to victory
15) Clarke dismissed India's last three batsman in five balls on the fifth day of the 2nd Test against India on 6 January 2008
16) Michael Clarke was named full-time one-day and Test captain of Australia on 29 March 2011
17) Clarke's highest ODI batting score of 130 was made against India, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, 2007
18) His tally of 1595 Test runs in 2012 is the most for an Australian in a calendar year. He went past Ricky Ponting’s record of 1544 runs
19) Clarke won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, thereby winning the ICC Cricketer of the Year award 2013. Clarke also won the Allan Border medal for the year 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2013
20) Clarke was named as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2010 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. He was named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2012 in 2013 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
21) Clarke was very close to former Australian Cricketer Phil Hughes who died in November 2014 when he was hit by a bouncer on the neck. Clarke couldn’t hold his tears at Hughes funeral and gave a very emotional speech
22) Michael Clarke got married to model and media personality Kyly Boldy on May 15, 2012. They have a daughter named Kelsey.
1) Mitchell Johnson was born on November 2, 1981 and raised in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
2) As a kid, Mitchell Johnson’s first sporting love was tennis and Johnson was a huge fan of the legendary Pete Sampras. Not only that, Johnson was also agifted and highly sought after junior tennis player. When Johnson was 14, he had been given the chance to relocate to Brisbane in order to work towards a successful career in tennis; however, the offer was rejected. It turned out to be the right decision as 3 years later, Australian bowling great Dennis Lillee spotted his talent and arranged for him to join the Australian Cricket Academy
3) At the age of 17, when Johnson actually started professional cricket, Dennis Lillee recognised his talent and selected him for Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. Johnson played for the Australian Under-19 side that toured England in 1999 but was always troubled by injuries
4) Mitchell Johnson made his first-class debut in 2001 for his native state of Queensland. In his debut match, which was played against the touring Kiwis, Johnson smashed a six off the very first ball that he faced. This was an early proof of the fact that despite being a fast bowler, Mitchell Johnson was certainly no mug with the bat in hand and could hit the big ones
5) It was still early days for Mitchell Johnson and in just his seventh ODI, Johnson destroyed the star-studded Indian line up and took 4 wickets taking the scalps of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan. Johnson generated genuine pace and prodigious swing and announced himself on the international circuit
6) Mitchell Johnson represented Australia at the ICC under-19 World Cup in 2000. His teammates then were Shane Watson, Nathan Hauritz, Michael Clarke, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh and Andrew McDonald. Johnson also played for Australia Under-19 in three one-dayers against Sri Lanka in 2001
7) A more than useful tail end batsman, Johnson scored 2,065 runs at an average of 22.20 with one century, an unbeaten 123 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2009.
8) Named International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Year, in 2009 and 2014. His former captain Ricky Ponting was the only other player to win it twice
9) Mitchell Johnson is the 398th player to play Test cricket for Australia. Johnson made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2007 after Glenn McGrath had retired. McGrath had presented him his Baggy Green on his debut at Brisbane
10) Mitchell Johnson successfully created impact in his maiden test against Sri Lanka in 2007 claiming a total of 4 wickets in the match
11) Mitchell Johnson is married to an Australian model named Jessica Bratich. Apart from modelling, Jessica also knows a thing or two about karate and is a black belt holder in the sport
12) Johnson’s moustache became the talk of the town during the Ashes 2013-14. The “handlebar” moustache added to his persona in the summer of 2013-14 as he blew England away with some breathtaking performances. Johnson had grown the moustache in support of Movember. In the month of November, men grow facial hair. This is done to raise awareness with regards to prostate cancer and other male-related health problems
13) Mitchell Johnson is not known as one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in world cricket for nothing. Johnson has caused lots of physical and mental damage to players over the years with his brutal pace and raw aggression. Former South African skipper Graeme Smith had managed to get his hand broken twice by Johnson, whereas his fellow countryman Jacques Kallis once suffered a broken jaw thanks to the fearsome pacer. Not to forget the manner in which he terrorised England’s Jonathan Trott and forced him out of the Ashes series due to depression and burnout
14) The England cricket team’s legendary fan club Barmy Army are known to get after opposition players and Mitchell Johnson learnt this the hard way. Before being the wrecker-in-chief for Australia during the 2013-14 Ashes series, Johnson’s performances had been quite indifferent in the iconic confrontations.As a result of this, the Barmy Army had made a song which criticised his wayward bowling and they sung it whenever he came in to bowl. However, Johnson did shut them up once and for all with a riveting performance in Australia’s 5-0 whitewash of England in the 2013-14 Ashes
15) Mitchell Johnson played a key role in the semi-final and final matches of ICC World Cup 2015 and added the World Cup winners medal in his bag as Australia lifted the trophy
16) The fourth highest wicket-taker in Test matches for Australia with 313 wickets, behind Shane Warne (708), Glenn McGrath (563) and Dennis Lillee (355), while going past Brett Lee's tally of 310 Test wickets in his final Test
17) The third highest wicket-taker among left-arm fast bowlers in Tests, behind Wasim Akram (414) & Chaminda Vaas (355)
18) Had taken most wickets (37) in the 2013–14 Ashes series at an average of 13.97 – the most by a fast bowler in The Ashes since 1981
19) Has 590 international wickets (313 in Tests, 239 in ODIs & 38 in T20Is) to his name across all formats, in just 256 international matches (320 innings) at an average of 26.65, and is fourth in the list of most international wicket-takers for Australia, behind Shane Warne (1001), Glenn McGrath (949) and Brett Lee (718)
20) Awards and Honors :-
* 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
* 2007 Cricket World Cup
* 2009 ICC Champions Trophy
* 2015 Cricket World Cup
* 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year
* 2014 Allan Border Medal
* 2014 ICC Test Player of the Year
* 2014 ICC Cricketer of the Year
* McGilvray Medal 2008, 2009
* Johnson was named the 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the 2009 LG ICC Awards
* Allan Border Medal 2014
* 2014 ICC Cricketer of the Year
* 2014 ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
