India and England top tips for Finch

AARON FINCH rates England and India a better chance than Australia to win this year’s World Cup. In public at least. Speaking at the captain’s day, the skipper was asked who the favourites were and didn’t hesitate in identifying the hosts and Virat Kohli’s side.

Such pronouncements are made for wider consumption, of course. The diplomatic thing to say.

Behind the scenes Finch will be quietly confident that Australia can go all the way.

Why wouldn’t he? No other nation comes close to matching Australia’s record of five wins from seven finals in 11 previous tournaments. The squad travels in expectation rather than hope.

“We just know how to win World Cups,” says Brett Lee, Australia’s leading wicket taker in the undefeated 2003 campaign.

“It doesn’t necessarily give us a golden ticket to the final; we have to work bloody hard to get there. But because we understand how to win, that will definitely help.”

Just six months ago Australia’s ODI form was in the gutter — four wins from 26 matches by the end of the Australian summer.

An incredible comeback series win in India and a stroll against Pakistan in UAE, as well as the return of Steve Smith and David Warner, has fuelled the widely held suspicion that Australia is once more peaking at the right time.

“It (only) comes round every four years so everyone is up for it,” says Allan Border, the first Australian to lift the World Cup, back in 1987.

“You might only get to play one.

“I know the same is true for all the other sides but I think we really look at it as a special moment.

“And we generally have good enough talent on the field to get the job done.”

Australia’s World Cup history is decorated with big players standing up when it matters.

Ricky Ponting crashed an unbeaten 140 in the 2003 final to end it before halfway after Andrew Symonds, only in the side due to injuries and suspension, rescued the team from likely defeat in their opening game of that same tournament, with 143 against a fearsome Pakistan bowling attack.

When the moment arrives, someone steps forward.

And for all the turmoil of the past 18 months there remain world-class talents in this Australian team.