Shane Watson pounded Ireland with both bat and ball, as Australia began its World Twenty20 campaign with an emphatic seven-wicket victory in Colombo.
Watson (3 for 26) grabbed three wickets, as Ireland was restricted to 7 for 123 and then smashed 51 off 30 balls to help Australia surpass the modest total in the 16th over of the Group B match.
The 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 (10), before he was run out in the 11th over.
Watson, who hit five boundaries and three sixes, was named the man-of-the-match, but praised the intensity shown by all the team in dominating Ireland from the first ball.
"We knew how important it was to really make a statement in this game," Watson said.
"I know by bowling the first over it really starts with me, so I knew how important it was to be able to set the tone.
"It's a bit of a blueprint of the intensity that we need to have as a team.
"We knew going into it exactly where we had to be mentally especially more than anything to know we were going to be at our best.
"We knew if we were really up for it, which we certainly were, that we were going to give ourselves the best chance of not having that tag of getting beaten by Ireland."
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 Twenty20 clash between the two sides.
Australia, which lost to England in the final of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, had briefly slipped below Ireland in the Twenty20 rankings earlier this month.
Ireland's 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.
In-form batsman Paul Stirling (7) was caught at third man off Mitchell Starc (2 for 20) and Ed Joyce (16) holed out to mid-off against Glenn Maxwell after making 16.
Left-arm spinner Brag Hogg, the oldest player in the tournament at 41, struck with his second delivery when he trapped Gary Wilson lbw for 5.
Kevin O'Brien top-scored with 35, adding 52 for the fifth wicket with elder brother Niall (20) after Ireland had slipped to 4 for 33 by the eighth over.
The O'Brien brothers were dismissed in the space of four balls from Watson.
Australia plays West Indies in its final group fixture in Colombo on Saturday. Ireland takes on West Indies on Monday.
Two teams from the group will advance to the Super Eights round.
AFP
Tags: cricket, sport, sri-lanka First posted September 19, 2012 23:07:04