FINCH LEADS CHARGE
COMEBACK CONTINUES
JUSTIN Langer must be watching Australia’s Twenty20 series from the couch at home thinking he has seen this all before.
For Langer and several players who were celebrating in Wellington last night it must feel like 2019 all over again.
Rewind two years and Australia’s ODI team was a laughing stock approaching the World Cup in England.
Captain Aaron Finch was on the chopping block after 37 runs in five games and the Aussies were 0-2 in India without David Warner and Steve Smith.
Then Finch hammered scores of 93, 116, 153 not out and 90 in six subcontinent games to roar back into form and Australia pulled off a famous 3-2 series win in India to turbocharge its run to the World Cup, where Warner and Smith returned.
In New Zealand, history is now repeating in a T20 World Cup year.
Finch backed up Wednesday’s 69 (off 44 deliveries) with an unbeaten 79 from 55 on Friday night to prove his famine is over as Australia, again playing without Smith and Warner, converted a 0-2 start to 2-2 with a 50-run victory against the Black Caps.
“Really proud of the group,” Finch said. “The way that we’ve fought — and it’s not the first time we’ve done it either in a series where we’ve been on wood from two games in.
“We got a lot of information out of the way New Zealand bowled and we adapted beautifully.”
Australia will enter Sunday morning’s series decider as crowds return in Wellington a hot favourite because just as the ODI game plan suddenly meshed in 2019, across the ditch the T20 tactics are blossoming.
Those watching from afar might wonder why the Aussies have used just 12 players in four games.
Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Jason Behrendorff, AJ Tye and Tanveer Sangha have only carried the drinks. Ashton Turner is home without playing a game.
But Jhye Richardson has made a nice return to international cricket, Ashton Agar has returned from a nasty calf tear and Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith have earned their T20 caps to make it a valuable tour.
The Aussies have also taught Agar how to bowl early overs, floated Mitchell Marsh up and down the order and, of course, Finch has found his groove.
Agar bowled three of the first five power-play overs on Friday night, using them to drain all power from the Black Cap openers.
The all-rounder created pressure and then cashed in as Martin Guptill found Glenn Maxwell on the rope.
“Ashton Agar was outstanding, he was brilliant,” Finch said.
Riley’s raw pace was again laser accurate, Test superstar Pat Cummins saying Riley’s long run-up shoved batters back in their crease.
“I really like his run up,” Cummins said. “He bowls fast, but he’s intimidating as well because he sprints in.”
The Aussies had their preparation rocked by an earthquake when they were woken at 2.27am on Friday.
“I think I woke up at 2.29am and my room was shaking — I thought I was having a dream,” Finch said.
“I got up, stood up, and didn’t really know what to do. A couple of our guys might’ve run straight down the fire exit and straight down to reception.”,
But there were no signs of lethargy at the Cake Tin.
Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis all started in a mood, but it proved a sugar hit as crisp catches ended their cameos.
But Finch carried his bat as the glue and finally turned his frustration to fury in the final over. Finch punched three consecutive sixes off Kyle Jamieson in a 26-run over that pushed the Aussies to 6-156.