Second match of T20 World Cup 2012 and it was again one sided. Ireland batting first never looked comfortable and their first wicket fell in the first ball of the match. O’Brien brothers looked to pose a threat in the mid way but Shane Watson’s clever bowling halted them at 123. Batting second, it was again Watson who dominated the match with the bat as well and scored 50 and took the game away from Ireland. Australia won the game by 7 wickets with more than 4 overs to go. Mitchell Starc and Hogg also delivered tight spells to help keep Ireland batsmen quiet.
Aside from Watson's all-round performance, the other trademark of Australia's show was their aggression, manifested in a series of verbal sledging with their opponents. The umpires got involved more than once, and no-one was left in any doubt about the Australians intention to make life as painful as possible for their opposition.
Watson was delivering a crucial spell, and he made it more so by coaxing Kevin O'Brien to touch a dumpy and razor-sharp delivery on its way through to keeper. Called on to bowl the last over of the innings as well as the first, Watson allowed the innings' only six to Nigel Jones, but the acknowledgment of 12 from the final six balls still left Australia's batsmen with a hunt they were always likely to bargain in some comfort.