Shane Watson on Why the Champions Trophy Creates Memories That Last a Lifetime

For all of the brilliant cricket we have watched, the dramatic run-chases, flying catches and precious wickets, it’s now that the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 gets serious.

The group stages have provided some excellent cricket but it’s the knock-out matches that really count, and this week is going to be brilliant.

We don’t know what will happen on the field, but, off it, we know hosts Pakistan will be ready.

I did not represent my country in Pakistan when I was an international player but one of the most memorable weeks of my life was here in 2019.

I played for the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL and the support we had was overwhelming, to be totally honest. Pakistan has been so starved of elite cricket for such a long time that to see world-class players live is huge.

I was caught up in the love and joy of cricket and it echoes throughout the whole country. It has done again in these last few weeks, regardless of how their own country has fared.

I have been lucky that, in my 20-plus years of playing and coaching cricket, I have travelled the world, been part of some amazing teams and achieved a great deal of success.

And so much of that charts back to the ICC Champions Trophy.

It is an event that has been at the heart of so many of my most important moments, whether that is first breaking into the Australia side in 2002, to winning it in 2006 and 2009.

That win in 2006 was perhaps the biggest moment of my career.

I was always a confident person, all athletes are, but it was in 2006 that I really knew I had the skill to perform for my country and help them win – and that is a different confidence, it’s a different feeling.

When I started, I was just trying to contribute here and there because the team was so strong. We had Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, the list just goes on. Most of those guys were still there in 2006 and delivering in that team, opening the batting with Adam Gilchrist and scoring an unbeaten 57 in the final, just proved to me I belonged.

It was the start of me being at my best as a fast-bowling all-rounder and to have that opportunity to bat with Adam and bowl the overs that I did was immense.

My first tournament was the Champions Trophy in 2002 and I was intimidated by those players.

I was brought into an all-time great team at the absolute peak of their powers and a lot of them were some of the best players that have ever played the game, so I was intimidated by their skill. I knew I had a lot of work to do before I could get my skills to a point where I felt I could come close to matching them and being where my team needed me, not just contribute a little bit. 2006 was that year.

In 2009, we had a very different Australia side. Ricky Ponting will still our captain but we were going through a transition and had gone through a huge turnover of players. I know Ricky counts that victory as one of his finest achievements as a leader.

It stands out to me clearly because of my contribution to it in both the semi-final and final.

I didn’t get off to a good start, and neither did the team. We scraped to a couple of wins but things just clicked for us in that semi-final against England.

They set us 258 to win and Ricky and I just knocked them off. I scored 136 not out and it was one of my favourite innings – not just because of how I did but also the occasion and batting with one of my heroes growing up. Ricky was a great leader and he backed me all the way from the age of 19.

In the final, we played New Zealand and I had this magical moment, where I hit a six to complete my century and also win the tournament. They are the moments you dream of.

I have a couple of really nice trophies from those days. But my personal favourite is the watch I got for being man-of-the-match in the final, it is one of the most special things I have in my house.

It brings back so many special memories. I have a painting of the 2015 World Cup celebrations, of me and Steve Smith in the middle when we hit the winning runs, but that watch is amazing – they are probably one of my two most prized possessions.

The last two weeks have reminded us how special this tournament is and I hope that, in the years to come, those who have featured in it look back on it as fondly as I do now.