MICHAEL CLARKE, the Australian batsman who only briefly lit up Hampshire cricket in 2004, can become one of the best players in the world - if he tightens up a weakness that sees him play "too many shots".

And the 23-year-old Aussie golden boy, who has yet to make his Test debut, has the potential to develop into an international class all-rounder.

The views are those of Australian batting legend Mark Waugh.

Clarke scored 709 runs and averaged 35.45 in the championship for Hampshire in his debut season in England, scoring three centuries and just two half-centuries in 20 first-class innings.

He sparkled with 75 on his debut against Durham at the Rose Bowl in April but Hampshire had to wait until July to see the best of Clarke.

Then he became the first batsman to score three successive championship tons for the county since Gordon Greenidge in 1986.

Clarke struck two centuries in the drawn match at Notts before compiling 109 in the win against promotion rivals Glamorgan at Cardiff - an innings generally regarded as the best by a Hampshire player all season.

Waugh admires Clarke's ability but would like to see him score more runs in first-class cricket.

"Michael is very a talented cricketer," Waugh told the Daily Echo. "He has the ability to become one of the best batsmen in the world in both Test and one-day cricket.

"But he needs to tighten up his technique on wickets which do a bit for the bowlers.

"The top batsmen in Australian cricket average around 50 in first-class cricket, but Michael's average is only around 40 (37.83 - to be precise).

"His only weakness is that sometimes he has too many shots for every ball.

"He could also develop his bowling and become an all rounder in one-day cricket."

Clarke batted at number seven in the Australian one-day side in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Against New Zealand at the Oval, Shane Watson joined him to play only his second one-day international since breaking down with stress fractures of the back before the 2003 World Cup.

Watson, 23, lashed a memorable hundred on his Hampshire championship debut against Somerset during his two-week cameo at the Rose Bowl in July.

He finished his stint at the top of the county batting averages in the county championship and the totesport League.

He scored an undefeated 54 in one of only two one-day league games and also plundered a sensational 97 against Kent in the Twenty20 Cup - the highest individual score by a Hampshire player in the fledgling tournament.

Watson's batting is full of promise but, according to Waugh, he has plenty of work to do with his bowling.

"Shane is an excellent cricketer, but his batting is better than his bowling at the moment," Waugh said. "He has a very good technique against fast bowling and has played a lot of cricket for his age.

"If he can't bowl he is good enough to make it as a batsman, but his biggest challenge is to relax.

"He is too intense sometimes."

Meanwhile, Waugh had words of praise for a third Australian to have represented Hampshire in 2004.

Simon Katich, 29, returned to the Rose Bowl for the final four championship games of the 2004 season.

Returning with massive hopes following a superb 2003 season for Hampshire, he failed to score a hundred and finished with an average of 40.25.

But Waugh is certain that the left-hander has a big future ahead of him in international cricket.

When Katich was recalled to the Australian Test side against Zimbabwe last year, he contributed 52 in Australia's only innings and then ran through the home side with his best Test bowling figures of 6-65.

He scored his first Test hundred against India at Sydney in January.

Ahead of Katich's first tour of India for the Test series next month, Waugh said: "Simon's batting has improved and he has developed his technique against spin bowling.

"His bowling is underrated - he is good enough to be a genuine all-rounder for Australia.

"He is a very tough cricketer and someone I would always want in my team."