Australia captain George Bailey says rival teams in the World Twenty20 fear Shane Watson and Australia will be hard to stop in the tournament if the gun allrounder continues to fire.
Watson claimed man-of-the-match awards in Australia’s two wins in the group stage of the tournament against Ireland and West Indies to climb four places to third on the ICC T20 batting rankings.
The opener hit 51 run out and 41 not out last week and also took 3-26 and 2-29 with the ball.
Australia will look to Watson and David Warner to set the tone for their innings in their opening Super Eights clash with India on Friday (midnight AEST) in Colombo.
Bailey has emphasised the importance of keeping wickets in hand for late in the innings and he says not only is Watson capable of playing the big shots, but he can also quietly build an innings in the early overs without taking undue risks and put pressure back on the bowlers.
“He plays such a key role and he’s so versatile he would be one of the most feared players in the competition,” Bailey said on Thursday.
“The way he builds his innings is as impressive as anything.
“His power is second to none but he just doesn’t go out there and blast from ball one.
“If he has to see off some good bowling and build an innings, he’s certainly happy to do that.
“That’s a maturity and a confidence in his game that has been very noticeable.
“And in terms of his bowling I think his intent and the way he’s bowled he’s probably been most impressive in setting a really good example for some of our younger guys.”
Watson’s career-best third ranking for batsmen places him below only New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum and West Indies master blaster Chris Gayle.
The Australia vice-captain has also maintained his No.1 ranking for allrounders in the list released late on Wednesday night and remains seventh on the bowlers’ rankings.
“In terms of big tournaments he’s probably as experienced as we’ve got,” Baily said.
“There’s no doubt his form in the early part of the tournament is a key to us winning and how far we go into the tournament is going to depend on how well Watto plays.
“I see someone who is intensely competitive and like all-rounders, he just loves being involved in the game.”