I've Got Myself to Blame for that, says Aaron Finch on Not Breaking into the Test Team

Aaron Finch, the Australia T20I skipper, is making the most of his form at the moment. On Tuesday, he slammed 172 off just 76 deliveries against Zimbabwe in the third match of the T20I tri-series. In the process, he broke his record for highest ever score in the format.

Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to field first. And Finch made sure the hosts rue their decision. He came out all guns blazing to blow away the African country. The hard-hitting batsman raced to a half-century from 22 deliveries before bringing up his second T20I century from 50 balls.

In the 19th over, he hit a maximum to better his previous mark of 156, scored against England in 2013, as Australia posted 229 for two. In reply, Zimbabwe were all out for a modest 129.

Speaking after the game, Finch expressed his delight over breaking his record, as he made the most of a good day at the office.

“Just one of those days where a few things went my way,” Finch said. “The wicket played a lot better than we thought (it would). Good to get a few out of the middle and break a record. Any time you have a day like this, you need to reflect on it. These might not happen often, so it’s special.”

The latest knock is bound to make many think why Finch is yet to break into the Test team.

No other player in the world has more international runs under his belt without having played a Test than Finch. So far, the hard-hitting batsman has amassed 4891 runs in 132 matches for Australia in the limited-overs, going ahead of Ireland’s William Porterfield, who had scored 4763 runs before Ireland’s maiden Test against Pakistan in May.

When asked about it, Aaron took the responsibility upon himself. He also said chances would come in Tests if he keeps on piling up runs.

“I’ve got myself to blame for that,” Finch said. “When I was younger I had an opportunity to really push my case for a few years. I had probably 18 to 24 months of really lean four-day or any red-ball cricket, to be honest.

“I was playing good white-ball cricket for Australia and couldn’t get the runs on the board in red-ball cricket. I’ve started to build up my red-ball game again, and I feel a lot more comfortable now,” he said. “I’ve started to play my natural game, ultra-aggressive whether I’m playing in Australia or England.

“Test cricket will take care of itself if I keep scoring runs,” Finch said. “I do feel over the last few years I’ve adapted my game, and I’m in a much better position.”

Finch will have a chance to push his case for a place in the Test team when he represents Surrey in the four-day tournament. A good showing can well put him in contention for the 2019 Ashes in England.

“The plan is to get over there after hopefully winning this series and really get over there and try and pile on as many runs as possible,” he said.