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Finch’s spot under pressure from White

Aaron Finch should not play opener in Tests. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)
Roar Guru
17th November, 2014
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The squad has been announced for the third ODI against India, and the notable omission from the revised listings was that of big Cam White.

Despite the injury to Michael Clarke, White couldn’t force his way into the 15-man squad, even on the back of two strong one-day domestic seasons and a successful T20 return for the Aussies.

While Clarke’s hamstring is causing him a little bit of discomfort, the player who would be least at ease is Aaron Finch. Not only has White bagged the runs, but across both limited overs formats, he’s proven he can bat anywhere in the top five.

It’s not that Finch has had a bad year, not by any stretch of the imagination. He started off 2014 by tapping two tons against the Poms, and then plundered another century and fifty against South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively during the African Tri-Series.

As you expect from an opener, when he gets going his powerful hitting has often got the Aussie batting rolling, and it’s a mere 15 months since his 156 off 63 balls in that T20 International showed us what a force he can be.

But such is the pressure of the World Cup build up, that he is in desperate need of current runs. His last eight ODI knocks have yielded a top of 54 and at a diminished strike rate compared to that of his career. His two Matador Cup innings were just as uninspiring, and despite his T20 form, he is now in a position where he drastically needs to improve, as the side looks for continuity ahead of the home Tri-Series against England and India.

You do have to feel for Finch. One factor which makes the scrutiny on his position even greater is the form and stature of his fellow opener, David Warner. Both openers have similarly aggressive styles, and tend to hard at the new ball. It’s unusual to have two dominating batsmen opening together, and often selectors prefer to match that style with a more rounded and responsible batsman to act as the foil (a la Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden).

With Steve Smith the like for like replacement for Clarke at four, Cameron White’s form applies the blow torch to Finch. As the bowlers and all-rounders tussle for their slots, the next few outings for Finch may make or break his World Cup dreams. Wednesday’s third game will be pivotal, as Cricket Australia are currently announcing their squads on a match by match basis.

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If he fails again, don’t be surprised to see White and Warner at the top of the order come the end of the week. Such is the merry-go-round of Australian cricket.

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