Tri-Series 2018, Final - Aaron Finch Hopeful of a Strong Finish against Pakistan

Australia’s T20I skipper, Aaron Finch, is optimistic of the fact that the visitors will finish a hard month with a victory in the final of the T20I tri-series against Pakistan.

“Hopefully, leading into this final, we’re saving our best for last, and then the boys will get a little break,” Finch said.

Australia had played no stop cricket in the last three weeks. They will start their next season with a tour of UAE where they will play a full series against Pakistan. Aussies will then meet South Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The summer will also include an extended Big Bash League.

The Aussies are slowly getting their feet back in the game. They are coming to terms with the new bunch of players. There is still room for improvement, but Finch thinks the series has developed the team develop as a unit.

“Slowly we’re starting to find the right balance and a little bit more of an understanding of how each other play the game,” Finch said.

“There’s a few new faces around, so as a captain I think it’s important to have more of an understanding of guys strengths and things where there’s room for improvement. There’ve been some great developments over the last few months on tour. We’ve trained hard.”

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Finch stated the team is still in the process of recovery. The absence of David Warner and Steven Smith have been a huge difference for the team.

They have trained more than an hour in the last couple of games in Harare. Australia’s last few games have been highly indifferent. They have played quite brilliantly at times and plummeted quite a few records.

But at the same time, Australia’s faltered in crunch situations which almost handed them a defeat against Zimbabwe.

Finch wants the execution to be better

“I don’t know if rusty is the right word,” Finch said. “We’re still just slightly off in our execution with the bat, ball and in the field. Putting down a couple too many chances in the field – well, one is too many. With the ball, we’re probably just leaking that one over that’s a real big one. In the past, we’ve been really good at, if we’re hit for a boundary early, shutting down the over and getting out of it. Lately, there’s been too many 15, 16-plus overs. With the bat, anytime you have to get a new partnership going, it makes it more difficult.

“It would have been nice for our in batters to make sure that we got the job done comfortably [against Zimbabwe]. A little too close for comfort, but in the end getting a win is important, leading to the final with momentum.”

Finch smashed a world record in the series by hitting the highest individual score of 172. However, he had an indifferent run and could only score 240 before the final of the tournament against Pakistan.

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“I feel like I’m playing very well at the moment. I’m not too bothered by a couple of low scores to be honest. T20 cricket tends to be high risk at the start of the innings, and as long as I’m moving well and hitting the ball in the middle of the bat, I’m pretty confident. 

Having played a lot of T20 cricket now, I understand the highs and lows of a batter in this game, so it’s just about making sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance, making the right decision under pressure, and I still feel as though I’m doing that. 

It just hasn’t gone my way in the last two games, but hopefully a big one in the final.”