Finch in firing line as ageing Australian T20 side needs refresh before World Cup defence

Aaron Finch will go down as one of Australia’s greatest limited-overs batters but there are worrying signs about the veteran skipper heading into the T20 World Cup defence.

Finch has struggled not just in the first two games of the T20 series against Sri Lanka but has been sadly out of form for an extended period of time at international level, stretching back before the World Cup win in the UAE.

The Victorian opener, who has represented Australia in 132 ODIs and 85 T20s, is part of an ageing batting line-up which looks badly in need of a refresh.

Fellow 35-year-old David Warner saved his T20 scalp with a player-of-the-tournament performance at the World Cup while Steve Smith, who will miss the final three games against Sri Lanka due to the concussion he suffered while fielding at the SCG on Sunday night, does not dominate in the shortest format and a few months shy of his 33rd birthday, is probably better served in the twilight of his career at international level by focusing on the Test and one-day arenas.

Finch has only been able to muster one half-century in his past 14 innings leading the T20 side since the disastrous 4-1 series drubbing in the West Indies last July, averaging just 21.

At the World Cup in the UAE he chalked up just 135 runs from seven trips to the crease, averaging 19.28 and striking at 116.37, which is passable at best when you’re batting at the top of the order.

Finch’s feet look sluggish at the moment – he appeared all at sea against Sri Lankan leggie Wanindu Hasaranga in both matches at the SCG.

In the first match, he recorded his fourth straight single-figure score to be bowled by a wrong-un that he played all around for eight and on Sunday night he scratched around for an unconvincing 25, stumped after earlier surviving a couple of perilously close DRS referrals.

“He could have been out three times last night,” former Test opener Ed Cowan said on the ABC Grandstand Cricket Podcast.

“He just looks horribly out of form. At his best, sure he’s in the team but he’s so far from his best and he doesn’t play enough cricket outside of this white-ball cricket that he has been playing to find any form.

“It’s more than him taking risks and getting a little unlucky and it has been for a while.”

Finch was hampered by a lingering knee injury but managed to score some runs at domestic level in the BBL for the struggling Melbourne Renegades, amassing 386 from 10 hits at a 130 strike rate, boosted by an 82 in their final clash of the season against Sydney Thunder.

Australian selectors have shown they are looking to the future by bringing Josh Inglis and Ben McDermott into the top order for the clashes with Sri Lanka.

The big question off the back of Sunday night’s IPL auction was why Tim David still has not had a look-in at national level despite being rated one of the best middle-order power hitters on the global T20 circuit.

If the Mumbai Indians valued him as a $1.53 million commodity then surely the Hobart Hurricanes hitter is worth a run in the green and gold. Tellingly, Finch and Smith were not signed by any IPL franchises.

BBL form does not always translate into the international arena – Chris Lynn has been a marquee attraction for the Brisbane Heat but was never able to cement a spot in the Australian white-ball outfits.

At least he was given a chance. New selection chair George Bailey has shown he can be innovative in the short time he’s been in the role, highlighted by the Scott Boland experiment paying amazing immediate dividends in the Ashes.

Overlooked for the national T20 squad, David is plying his trade with the Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League so Australia are set to draft in Moises Henriques, yet another 35-year-old, for Smith in Tuesday night’s third match at Manuka Oval.

He’s been a great player for a long time, particularly in the IPL and with the Sydney Sixers and should have played more international cricket in all three formats during his career, but surely a younger replacement could have been found even with David overseas.

Even with veteran duo Warner, 35, and Mitchell Marsh, 30, resting from this series, Australia’s 16-man squad has an average age of 30.38 with no player under 25 and only seven still in their 20s.

Australia should be able to refresh their squad in the lead-up to the World Cup at home in October and still be leading contenders to lift the trophy.

And if the selectors bite the bullet and can no longer find room for Finch in the side, there is no obvious candidate among the younger brigade to take over as skipper and Pat Cummins has stated he wants to focus on the Test captaincy.

They could do worse than give the gig to Maxwell, who has experience leading in the T20 arena and despite being a veteran at 33, has shown no signs of slowing down and could do the job for a few years while a younger player like Inglis or McDermott is groomed to take over.

Current Australian squad

1 Aaron Finch 35
2 Ashton Agar 28
3 Pat Cummins 28
4 Josh Hazlewood 31
5 Travis Head 28
6 Moises Henriques 35
7 Josh Inglis 26
8 Glenn Maxwell 33
9 Ben McDermott 27
10 Kane Richardson 31
11 Jhye Richardson 25
12 Steve Smith 32
13 Mitchell Starc 32
14 Marcus Stoinis 32
15 Matthew Wade 34
16 Adam Zampa 29
Average age: 30.38