SEARCH & DESTROY
Finch rediscovers his big-hitting form again
AARON Finch went searching for runs so desperately that he forgot to watch the ball — but says he has broken out of the survival mode that squashed his summer.
The Australian skipper again started tentatively against New Zealand on Wednesday, but then smashed 10 brutal boundaries in his 69 runs from 44 balls to renew confidence in his “process”.
A product of Geelong Cricket Club and a star Colac West export, Finch (pictured) overcame a run of outs stretching back six months and Kiwi uniforms that blended in with the empty yellow seats in Wellington, making it hard to spot the fielders.
“Having the confidence to keep backing my instinct and keep backing my game was the most important thing,” Finch said after Australia’s win on Wednesday.
“I know that I’ve done it before and I’m not a bad player. Sometimes when you’re searching for a score you forget the absolute basics.
“One per cent can be enough in this game to have you off and you’re out. All of a sudden your run continues, so it’s all about watching the ball 100 per cent, trusting that my process for the last 10 years has been pretty solid and it’s given me a great foundation to bounce back from.”
While Finch is determined not to look too far ahead, he said the T20 World Cups scheduled for India this year and Australia in 2022 were “really important”, while the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, when Finch will be approaching 37, was a “distant goal”.
“I won’t go past that — I can tell you that much,” he said.
Finch needs 35 runs to go past
David Warner as Australia’s No 1 T20 scorer of all time, and just one more six to become the first Aussie to clear the ropes 100 times.
The skipper will get two cracks in Wellington, with Australia needing wins on Friday and Sunday to convert a 0-2 start into a 3-2 series victory.
The final three games will all be played on the same pitch, and Finch said that suited him just fine because the he was used to batting on wearing drop-in wickets at Marvel Stadium for Melbourne Renegades.