Shane Watson pounded Ireland with both bat and ball as Australia began their World Twenty20 campaign with an emphatic seven-wicket victory in Colombo on Wednesday. Watson grabbed three wickets as Ireland were restricted to 123-7 and then smashed 51 off 30 balls to help Australia surpass the modest total in the 16th over of the group B match.
The New South Wales all-rounder put on 60 for the first wicket with David Warner (26) in seven overs, and 31 off 18 balls for the second with Michael Hussey, before he was run out in the 11th over.
Watson, who hit five boundaries and three sixes and claimed a wicket with his first delivery, was named the man of the match. “We knew how important the game was to make a statement,” he said. “I had been thinking about how to bowl the first over for about a day and it worked out nicely.”
Barely 3,000 spectators were present at the 35,000-capacity Premadasa stadium to watch Australia teach the non-Test nation a cricketing lesson in the first ever T20 clash between the two sides. Australia, who lost to England in the final of the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean, had briefly slipped below Ireland in the T20 rankings earlier this month.
The slump started with the first ball of the innings, which skipper William Porterfield hooked down fine-leg’s throat to the great delight of bowler Watson.
“We did not have a great start; we tried to get a platform but that did not happen,” said Porterfield. “I can’t fault the lads because they tried their best.”
