Change of pace set to face a test from Poms

AARON Finch says Australia’s failure to copy England’s fearless batting game plan led to the dramatic overhaul that will tonight receive its fiercest test just two weeks out from the World Cup semi-finals.

Coach Justin Langer – who hit out at Shane Warne’s claim that the Aussies can’t win the World Cup unless they find some middle-over dynamite – held a four-hour crisis meeting last December to discuss the ODI plight.

Australia lost 22 out of 26 consecutive ODIs before the current run of 13 wins from 14 games. They enter tonight’s blockbuster against England at Lord’s with their World Cup force field as strong as ever.

The Aussies dumped Twenty20 specialists Chris Lynn and D’Arcy Short and put a premium on wickets in hand after a pattern of entering the death overs with the tail exposed.

Langer and Finch said the new formula would stand up under the heightened pressure of a World Cup.

“In a bilateral series you can throw caution to the wind but when two (World Cup) points are so valuable it’s tough to really free up and play that really high-risk game,” Finch said.

“We saw the scores that England were getting and we felt like we had to play the same way (last year).

“It’s tough to play someone else’s game – you have to be true to your game plan and what your style is.

“You can go down the route of picking a T20-based side and hope for the best for 50 overs, but … in a World Cup I think we’ve got the balance well and truly right.”