Watson to continue his phenomenal World T20 at Pakistan’s expense

Shane Watson’s brilliance has guided an Australian team expected to founder to the brink of the semi-final stage of the World t20.

His side – who were ranked below Bangladesh prior to the commence of the tournament – are favourites to beat Pakistan at 8/11 and ensure their last-four berth, though a superior net run-rate should guarantee them a spot regardless, unless they’re befouled by an unprecedented disaster.

However, the Aussie’s record against Pakistan in the game’s shortest format hints that they are going to be thankful for Watson’s performances in the first two Super Eight games as another victory is not going to be as straightforward as their favouritism would have you believe.

In the five previous meetings between these two nations, Pakistan have picked up four wins, as well as winning their first World t20 contest.

This record heaps value on their price of 11/10 to win this one, a game the 2009 winners need to pick up maximum points in order to ensure they reach a fourth consecutive semi-final.

However, the tournament to date has all been about Watson – so much so that he’s 4/1 to be man of the match here – and, despite his side’s stuttering against their next opposition, he managed to maintain a consistent level of form.

He’s racked up four scores of over 30, including a monster 81 off 49 balls at the 2009 World Cup, and has best bowling figures of 1-9 against Pakistan.

His over/under mark has been set at 22.5 is very generous given that he’s topping the runscoring charts in this competition, and the 5/6 that says he’ll score beyond this mark again is as good as money in the bank.

He’s also 11/4 to take more than 1.5 wickets which, again, is another great price for the all-rounder who has been more deadly with the ball than any other specialised bowler on the Sri Lankan tracks.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date