AT THE RIGHT END!
Paceman Finn vows to keep hitting the woodwork...
STEVEN FINN has pledged to deal with his curious habit of dislodging the bails with his knee in time for England’s Test series in India next month.
The rise of the Middlesex fast bowler has been one of the few uplifting features in a difficult year for England. But after an initial warning, umpires have started calling ‘dead ball’ whenever his right knee brushes the stumps at the point of delivery.
Oddly, that helped Finn during the recent World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, after he was hit for runs that were instantly discounted because he had knocked off the bails.
But back in August the ‘ bad habit’, as Finn calls it, cost him the wicket of South Africa captain Graeme Smith in the second Test at Headingley.
The last thing England need on the unforgiving tracks of India is an early, match- changing reprieve for Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli.
‘When I started playing for England, I was falling over a lot after delivering the ball and when you don’t have long breaks to go away and work on stuff, bad habits creep in. That’s what this is — a bad habit,’ said Finn.
‘Hopefully, come the India Test series it will be eradicated from my game. It’s just a question of trying to gain a little bit more momentum through the crease, rather than slowing down a bit when I get there. I’ve been working on it all summer.’
If everything clicks for Finn , 23, during the four Tests against India, who have lost only four home series out of 40 since David Gower captained England to a 2-1 victory there in 1984-85, he could prove his side’s likeliest match winner in conditions not suited to the faster bowlers.
He was just about the only positive to emerge from the 5-0 one- day drubbing in India last October, bowled superbly during the ODI whitewash of Pakistan in the UAE earlier this year and was England’s leading wicket-taker during their failed attempt to defend their World Twenty20 title last month.
‘I’d back myself to be effective on any wicket because I feel comfortable with the way I’m bowling,’ he said.
‘I’m more consistent now than I was when we went to India a year ago and having done well out there before bodes well for me this time round.
And Finn insists India’s batsmen do not scare him, adding: ‘We’re not intimidated by them.
‘They’re just another set of batsmen we’ve got to get out and I’m sure we’ll have plans in place to do that. No- one’s invincible and I’m sure they won’t be, either.’
■ Steven Finn was speaking on behalf of Buxton Mineral Water at an ASDA Kwik Cricket coaching event. For more information, go to www.asda.com/kwikcricket