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Opinion
This will sound harsh but reality bites sometimes – the best thing Aaron Finch could do for Australia’s T20 World Cup chances would be to retire.
All-rounder Cameron Green’s explosive hitting in the three-match series against India was a revelation that cannot be ignored.
If he walks out to bat with David Warner at the T20 World Cup, Australia deserve to be favourites to retain the crown they won last year in the UAE.
But if Finch is still bringing his middling form to the crease at the top of the innings, the home side will be at a decided disadvantage.
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A captain goes down with their ship but this skipper’s lack of impact will potentially sink Australia’s chances.
Finch deserves plenty of credit for the way he led Australia to last year’s triumph and after recently announcing his retirement from the ODI arena after a string of paltry scores, he is looking to lead the T20 squad to glory before bowing out on his own terms.
The soon-to-be 36-year-old hasn’t said that the tournament Down Under will officially be his international swansong but it’s highly unlikely the selectors will keep him at the helm of the team in the game’s shortest format.
Finch is a million to one to do this but he could go down in Australian cricket’s “team before individual” hall of fame if he were to say he no longer deserves his spot in the team and step aside for Green.
It would be a selfless act up there with Mark Taylor declaring on 334 not out in 1998 instead of batting on when only one more run would have broken Sir Donald Bradman’s Australian Test record.
Green had only played one T20 before filling in for a resting Warner in the India series but whacked their world-class attack to all parts of the boundary and beyond.
(Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
His tally of 118 made him the highest run-scorer of the series from either side and his phenomenal strike rate of 214 also ranked him No.1.
If the national selectors haven’t taken notice, then IPL franchises certainly have and the young West Australian will be on course for a seven-figure pay day next year.
Finch made 22, 31 and seven in his three knocks against India and while his recent T20 form has not plumbed the depths of his 2022 ODI output, he is not putting fear into bowlers like Green did.
The towering 23-year-old bludgeoned 61 from 30 in the first T20 at Mohali, was run out for five in the rain-shortened eight overs per side slogfest at Nagpur before slamming 52 off 21 in the series decider at Hyderabad which the hosts won with one ball to spare when they chased down the target of 187 four down.
Green hit a six and a four from the second and third deliveries he faced and went on to find the rope six more times and clear it on another two occasions.
Finch was asked about Green not being named in the World Cup squad after Sunday night’s loss. “That’s not my domain, but he’s a super young player.
“He’s shown his class, and especially to bat at the top of the order in a position that he hasn’t done before.
“He hasn’t played much T20 to be honest, so the way that he took the game on and was ultra-aggressive from the start, I loved that about him and he had a good impact with the ball today as well.”
Selection is the domain of coach Andrew McDonald, along with panel chair George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, and he played the proverbial straight bat to calls for Green to be ratcheted into the tournament squad.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“If anything were to happen with someone in the 15, I think it’s obvious that we’ve got some good depth there,” McDonald said.
He added that Green was “certainly embracing the challenge of opening” after being asked to show intent from the get-go.
“We thought he had the skill when we did our strategy before we came over here, we thought he had the skill sets to succeed there and he’s taken on some of the best bowlers in world cricket.”
Injury-prone all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis sat out the series and could also be expendable for Green.
Marsh has been battling an ankle injury, the latest in a long line of ailments for the talented 30-year-old, while Stoinis – no longer a spring chicken at 33 – suffered a side strain during the recent Top End ODI series against New Zealand after the same problem ruled him out of the Sri Lankan tour in June.
T20 gun for hire Tim David, who thrashed 52 off 27, and keeper-batter Josh Inglis (24 off 22) also showed in Hyderabad that they are the future of the Australian team.
Steve Smith is another established star who could be on the way out while veteran keeper Matthew Wade, who is turning 35 in December, should be able to keep his younger glovemen at bay even if the selectors want to introduce fresh blood into the team after the Cup.
Smith has only managed 117 from seven innings this year at a passable strike rate of 125.8 while Wade is still more than cutting the mustard as a closer with six not outs in his eight knocks in 2022, chalking up 188 runs at 164.91.