Coulter-Nile proves his worth

Nathan Coulter-Nile is the outsider of Australia's Twenty20 pace attack, but he's quickly establishing a reputation among his teammates.

The well-built quick is unlikely to garner as much attention as left-arm duo Mitchell Starc, Australia's strike bowler this World Cup, and Doug Bollinger, the hustle-and-bustle firebrand at the other end.

But the West Australian outbowled them both in Australia's tournament-opening loss to Pakistan, taking 2-36.

Quick Single: Full recap from Australia v Pakistan

He was unfortunate not to have a third, with Brad Hogg grassing an outfield chance offered by Umar Akmal early in the match.

His ability to hit the mid-140s makes Coulter-Nile a desirable paceman, but his lusty lower-order hitting and qualities in the field are why he's generating plenty of interest at home and abroad.

The 26-year-old got a tidy payday last year, landing a $450,000 Indian Premier League deal with the Mumbai Indians - which was bumped up to $750,00 when he moved to the Delhi Daredevils this month.

"I think he has built a solid reputation amongst domestic cricketers," Australia captain George Bailey said before the Pakistan clash.

"He is pretty highly regarded amongst opposition batsmen as someone who is hard to play against.

"What I have seen in his short international career is someone who has really grown into the role quite quickly and got a lot of confidence and belief in his own game.

Quick Single: Coulter-Nile stands out on the team bus

"He is becoming a lot stronger in the fields that he wants, knowing exactly how he wants to bowl, when he wants to bowl.

"Plus he is a jet in the field and he can hit the ball miles so they are handy things in Twenty20.

"It's nice to know we have got guys like he and Starcy (Mitchell Starc) coming in at 8 and 9 - they can all clear the fence."