Shane Watson is one of the more underrated players for Australia, says Ricky Ponting

DUBAI: Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting congratulated Shane Watson on a formidable career and said that the all-rounder has to be one of the more underrated players for Australia.

Ponting's remark came as Watson announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. Watson was last seen in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Congrats on a brilliant career @ShaneRWatson33. Loved every minute of playing alongside you, you were a brilliant team mate and someone I love calling a close friend. I think one of the more underrated players Australia has had. Enjoy retirement," Ponting tweeted.

The Australian all-rounder had already ended his international career in March 2016 and had only been playing in overseas T20 leagues.

Watson said that the last three years in the IPL with CSK have been of the highlights of his career.

"I'm just so grateful, the last three years have been one of the highlights of my career," said Watson in a video posted on CSK's Twitter.

In his IPL stint, Watson has lifted two titles in 2008 (RR) and 2018 (CSK) and two players of the tournament awards (2008 and 2013).

The 39-year-old played 145 games for three teams in the competition, scoring 3874 runs at a strike-rate of 137.91. He hit four centuries and also claimed a hat-trick amongst his 92 IPL wickets.

CSK failed to qualify for the play-off for the first time in the 11 seasons they have competed in. Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side finished with 12 points in 14 games.