Elder Finch rallies his mob ..
I believe everyone should be given a fair right of passage. Respect is earned with the progression of time, and ought to be apportioned accordingly. Modern society fails at this too often. Again, and again.
Sound familiar? Then why has Aaron Finch been blasted from pillar to post?
Yes, Finch was selected in this T20 World Cup squad as a player, and captain. Rightly so. And that’s in no specific order; he was picked and made captain. He has an enduring and successful working relationship with the head coach and staff. Indeed, it was a wise appointment.
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We can get to Finch’s numbers later.
For now, the questions are; what is the actual issue, and why do we polarise leaders at the drop of a hat, or a game, in this case in point. After all, New Zealand played a near-perfect game.
The most volatile format of cricket is T20. In this World Cup it was slated that none of the 12 teams would start a game with a less than 40% chance of winning. The margins of success and failure are incredibly acute.
Australian Indigenous culture defines an elder as, "someone who has gained recognition as a custodian of knowledge and lore, and who has permission to disclose knowledge and beliefs.
Elders in the Indigenous community play an important role in the maintenance of their culture. It presents as a hierarchical system, yet one that has flexibility in its workings. Cricket has slowly moved away from top-down leadership, with inclusion and self-discovery becoming more prevalent. Coaching now leans more toward teaching than instruction. You could say coaching has shifted to the left.
Finch is an elder by age and playing experience, and I will say wisdom. The captain's armband charges him with the responsibility of leading, and disclosing this wisdom. He excels in this space. A place where he is most comfortable.
So, why have the last ten weeks been so excruciating for Aaron Finch?
A straightforward, no-nonsense cricketer, who will never pass the buck, his resilience and composure has been severely tested by the media and fans alike. Remember, he lifted the T20 World Cup trophy only 12 months ago.
Persistent questioning can easily lead to a place of frustration, generally reserved for a courtroom; canvassing over and over – in the case of Finch – has been laborious. What does he need to do to snap the run of outs? I wasn't able to answer confidently.
I will readily concede there’s no doubt that Finch’s star has been fading of late, but Monday night showed that, like many great players, he can still muster the required innings when his team needs it most. There was a will, and a want, to influence a game again.
In-form batters have a range of hitting speeds like a grand tenor has command of his vocal pitch, smoothly moving up and down their vocal range. Similar to a batsman moving up and down the gears.
Finch’s innings Monday evening was paradoxical in every sense. Setting out to grasp the initiative from Ireland’s front-line bowlers – with mixed success. There were glimpses of his pure ball-striking, and clean down-the-line bat swing. And, there were the mis-cues, the misses; there was frustration.
As the innings meandered along Finch unintentionally morphed into the ‘pilot-role’ – not by design, it just worked out that way. Which, in my view, is needed with Australia’s power-based order.
63 off 44 balls was a satisfactory night’s work for any T20 opener; in this case, in Finch’s case, it was a welcome return to form and some fluency in his batting. Australia could have, should have, won by more than they did. Damn that hamstring.
Whether he gets to continue the upward trend is in doubt. Unfortunately, troublesome hamstrings have been a consistent companion for Finch and only time will tell if he can get back after tweaking it once again.
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The numbers …
Finch’s T20I career spans more than a decade. He debuted in early 2011, in a home series with England, making 15* and 53* in his first two hits.
His most productive year was 2018: from 17 matches he scored 531 runs at an average of 40.84, striking at a massive 176.41. He also made his career high score against Zimbabwe – 172 from 76 balls (16 fours, and 10 sixes, totalling 124 in boundaries) – bizarrely, he was dismissed hit wicket. At one point in 2018 he was averaging 92.8 and striking at 201.37.
Overall, his record stands at: 3120 runs from 103 matches at an average of 34.28 with a strike rate of 142.53. Outstanding numbers.
And, to further highlight his worth to the team and the position he has predominantly batted – opening – in 44 matches partnering David Warner at the top of the order; they combine to average 38.60 per wicket, with six 50-run, and four 100-run partnerships.
Finch’s individual numbers opening the batting also warrant consideration!
From 91 innings he’s made 2848 runs at an average of 34.08, and striking at 147.04 with 17 half-centuries, and two hundreds.
A colleague explained to me a long time ago, “Your numbers are your numbers.” “Build them, own them, and most importantly, look after them.” I ask all the young players I coach to do the same.
There is no denying the contribution Aaron Finch has made to Australia’s white-ball cricket this past decade. And, I would venture to say, I probably fuss more over his numbers than he would.
Let’s hope he can cajole that hamstring into one final push, and a fitting end caps of a stellar career. Not bad for a chunky wicket-keeper from Colac!
Australia’s progression to the final four still sits in their own hands, for the most part. We shall see how it plays out, with or without Captain Finch.
Thank you for being here.
