Going barmy without Army
BEN HORNE IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A CROWD TO ENTERTAIN AND THE BANTER.
AARON FINCH
AUSTRALIA’S cricketers might have been hammered with abuse last time they set foot in Britain, but captain Aaron Finch admits they will still miss the Barmy Army.
The relentlessness of the sledging directed at Australian players during last year’s Ashes series was a major theme of the popular Amazon documentary called The Test, where coach Justin Langer and several leading players expressed disbelief at the viciousness of the abuse.
The Barmy Army has been the scourge of many Australian sides that have toured England, but Finch said that without them, playing the old enemy just won’t feel quite the same.
Australia and England are set for battle from next week in a series of T20 and oneday internationals in front of empty stadiums, and Finch doesn’t necessarily see it as a blessing in disguise taking the crowd out of the contest.
“It’s always good to have a crowd to entertain and the banter, particularly from English crowds, is pretty special,” the Victorian said.
“Do they go over the top sometimes? Maybe, yeah. But I think it’s a great thing to be a part of, especially if you beat England over here. You know you have to overcome
so much. On the field that accounts for a lot as well.
“It will be different but I don’t think it will take away from the intensity of the game whatsoever – not from our point of view.”
Australian players touched down from their private jet in Derby and went straight to the county cricket ground where they were permitted to hit golf balls in the outfield.
Players were expected to wear masks and stay within the confines of their quarantine accommodation, but Finch said the adjustment had not been extreme.
“The curator got some mats out for us so we were hitting some golf balls on the ground, just to be out in the sun,” Finch said.
“Most of the guys from Australia – maybe not those from Perth or South Australia, who have been pretty unrestricted in their movements – but everyone else understands and has gone through a little bit of the time like this with COVID and especially from my point of view in Melbourne.”