Adelaide: Shane Watson admitted he was fortunate to escape Wahab Riaz's classic spell of intimidatory, eyeball-to-eyeball fast bowling in Friday's World Cup quarter-final between Australia and Pakistan.

Watson ended the game on an unbeaten 64 off 66 balls but he was dropped on four by Rahat Ali at fine leg off a 145kmh Riaz bouncer as the veteran Australian all-rounder was under physical siege. Riaz charged in, peppering the batsman with a series of short-pitched deliveries and sarcastically applauding and even blowing the 33-year-old a kiss at one stage.

Pakistani bowler Wahab Riaz bowls as Australian batsman Shane Watson looks on during the 2015 Cricket World Cup quarter-final match between Australia and Pakistan in Adelaide on March 20, 2015. Pic/AFP