London, Sep 27(ANI): Australia Twenty20 captain George Bailey has said all rounder Shane Watson is currently among the most feared players in World Twenty20 competitions.
Watson, who won double man of the match awards in their two group stage matches against Ireland and West Indies, will again be pivotal in Australia's clash against India in their first game of the Super Eight stage.
As a reward to his consistent performance, Watson has jumped four places to a career-high third in the batting rankings behind Brendon McCullum (NZ) and Chris Gayle (WI).
Watson remains in seventh place as Australia's best-placed bowler, with the top six all spinners, enhancing his standing as the highest-ranked all-rounder in the world.
"He plays such a key role and he's so versatile he would be one of the most feared players in the competition. The way he builds his innings is as impressive as anything," the Herald Sun quoted Bailey, as saying.
"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," he added.
"And in terms of his bowling I think his intent and the way he's bowled he's probably been most impressive in terms of setting a really good example for some of our younger guys. In terms of big tournaments he's probably as experienced as we've got," he said.
Bailey added: "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." (ANI)
