3 minute read
Captain Aaron Finch concedes he's been ailing with the bat during Australia's ODI series defeat in Pakistan but the skipper has vowed to put things right.
Aaron Finch reckons he doesn't need to be told he's struggling with the bat after Australia's ODI series defeat in Pakistan - but the white-ball captain is confident he's going to fight back at 35.
Finch's rotten run continued in Lahore on Saturday when he was dismissed for a second straight duck, the first time he's had this indignity in his international career.
His quick exit set the scene for his team to get hammered by nine wickets in the ODI series decider while inevitably raising fresh questions about his own unconvincing form.
He's now scored just 101 runs in his last eight international knocks in 2022, including a difficult T20 series against Sri Lanka in February, but Finch offered an honest if defiant response when quizzed post-match about recent failures.
"Obviously, it hasn't been up to scratch. I've been well short of runs in the Sri Lanka series and this series here, there's no doubting that," conceded the Victorian.
"I don't need you to tell me that. It's frustrating, no doubt, and as you get older, I think you probably question yourself a little bit more.
"But I still feel as though all my training has been really positive, it's just been the first couple of balls, getting my pad in the way.
"It's been a thing throughout my career and it would be nice if it didn't happen - but I'm still very confident I can turn it round in the next series against Sri Lanka."
Haris Rauf trapped Finch third ball with his ripping late swing, again highlighting the captain's susceptibility to lbw, a technical, head-alignment glitch at the outset of his innings that he's trying to correct.
Finch, who led Australia to a World Cup T20 triumph last November, hopes to complete the double at the 50-over World Cup next year and says he has "no excuses" with his own fitness, feeling his repaired right knee has been fine in Pakistan.
He's been impressed by the performance of many of the second-stringers who've been drafted in to the Pakistan white-ball tour while key men have either been injured or resting.
What was really impressive was how good our quicks were at different times," he said.
"It was a great opportunity for guys like Nathan Ellis, Mitch Swepson, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott and Cameron Green to get more bowling under their belt in international cricket against some world-class players.
"The ability to bowl to the best players in the world on really challenging wickets will help not just them but also hold the Australian cricket team in really good stead.
"It will allow us to continue to learn about the depth of the team. That's not hiding behind the results; the ability of the guys to learn on the job in international cricket is super, and I'm really proud of how the guys tried their hearts out."