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Watson: Nothing AB can't do

Cape Town - AB de Villiers can do 'anything he wants' with bat in hand, says Australia all-rounder Shane Watson. 

Watson was addressing media in Cape Town on the eve of the third T20I against the Proteas at Newlands on Wednesday when he was asked what he considered to be South Africa's biggest strength as a side.

Somewhat surprisingly, Watson first spoke about the bowling attack before he turned his attention to De Villiers.

"There's no doubt they have a lot of great variations in their bowling. Imran Tahir is a really skilful bowler in T20 cricket ... he's had a lot of success in all types of conditions," said Watson.

"Batting-wise ... well they've got AB de Villiers as a starting point. He can do anything he wants on a certain day so that alone provides a lot of strength ... never-mind Faf and De Kock and all the other guys as well.

"They've shown in these first two games that they're going to be very hard to beat, as they always are."

The Australians have gotten rid of De Villiers cheaply in both T20Is so far in the series (0 and 13), but there has been no specific plan when bowling to him.

"Getting him out ... that's the plan," Watson joked.

"Because we certainly don't want him batting any longer than he has so far because I've seen and experienced it plenty of times. 

"It's not a pleasure to watch because when you get smashed everywhere it's not ... but it's a treat to see him play when he's at his absolute best.

"Where he hits the ball and how he hits the ball is incredible. Hopefully this is one more game when we can get him our early."

Play on Wednesday starts at 18:00.

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