Veteran opener Shane Watson has official retired from all professional cricket in Australia in order to spend more time with his family.

The 37-year-old will now longer take part in the Big Bash League (BBL) where he is the all-time leading run-scorer for Sydney Thunder.

While he will no longer play professional cricket in Australia, Watson will continue to ply his trade in overseas franchise T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Shane Watson was one of the most exciting short-form players ever to grace a cricket field,” Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts stated.

“In a career which spanned almost two decades, Shane made a major contribution to Australian cricket firstly at international level and then in domestic cricket as a significant contributor to the Big Bash.

“His greatest quality was persistence, overcoming a number of sometimes serious injuries and curtailing his pace. He became a probing swing and seam bowler.”

Watson had earlier retired from international cricket in 2016 after playing 59 Tests, 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Australia. In the BBL, the right-hander has scored a total of 1,058 runs from 42 matches while also picking up 20 wickets with the ball.

Watson is currently turning out for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing 2019 IPL edition and recently scored 96 in his side’s six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.