Finch should lead all formats: Warne
SHANE Warne has thrown his support behind late-blooming Aaron Finch to captain Australia in all three forms of the game.
Finch, 31, will this week lead Australia in three Twenty20s against Pakistan after an 18month period of domination which has catapulted him to the top of the International Cricket Council’s T20 batting rankings.
He’s also the world record holder in the shortest form of the game, having bashed 172 against Zimbabwe in July, beating his own record of 152, scored in 2013.
His stunning white-ball form, which also includes four one-day international hundreds in his past 11 innings, catapulted him into the Test team under coach Justin Langer’s policy that runs in any format count towards national selection.
In an otherwise dismal series loss to Pakistan, Finch showed his readiness for Test cricket, knocking out 181 runs at 41.25 opening the batting.
Warne, who famously missed out on his dream of captaining Australia but was revered for his cricket nous, has declared Finch – who has been the long-time skipper of the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash – the right man in a time of much tumult in the sport.
In his first column for the summer, Warne said that with a World Cup on the horizon next year, Finch should take the reins of the one-day team straight away. And should he continue the form he showed in his opening two games in the baggy green, there was the potential for him to replace Tim Paine as Test captain too.
“To me, he (Finch) should be captain. I’d like to see him Get your eight-page summer cricket preview in the Cairns Post tomorrow. captain all forms for the game,” Warne said.
“His one-day and T20 cricket is outstanding and if he can seize his opportunity in the Test team, I believe he has a lot to offer in red-ball cricket.
“He’s a must-pick and captaincy is a crucial element of the World Cup.”