Australia's Twenty20 international captain George Bailey believes the presence of Shane Watson gives his team the edge in the shortest form of the game.

Watson starred with bat and ball as Australia cruised to a comfortable eight-wicket win over the West Indies in St Lucia on Tuesday. The Australian ODI captain took a miserly one for 16 in four overs to help restrict West Indies to 150 for seven before smashing a superb 69 off 43 balls to help complete the victory.

"It's gold to have any allrounder in your team and (especially) to have one of the quality of Watto, who can hold his own in the team as a batter or a bowler," said Bailey.

"He's so, so important to our team and it was nice for him to free himself today. His last two overs were particularly good at the death and then the clinical way he batted and the strength of clearing that fence."

The T20 captain added that he was delighted with the victory and will take plenty of confidence going into Friday's second match in Bridgetown, especially since his team is packed with bowling options.

"It was pretty polished," Bailey said.

"(The bowling was pleasing) particularly given how we finished a couple of games in the one-dayers. For the guys to have responded to that, learnt what they have, come up with plans and then execute them, I think that's really pleasing and we'll take a lot of confidence out of that.

"It was nothing too radical. We talked about a few different plans and a few different lines and a few different options. The only thing I really wanted to do today was to give myself options at the back end, in case they were going really, really hard. Then we weren't locked in to bowling particular bowlers. Having so many bowlers in the team that was the beauty of the options I had."

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