Cricket World Cup 2019: Michael Vaughan calls Aaron Finch ‘best captain tactically’ in tournament

Jettisoned into the captaincy role just nine months ago, Aaron Finch has helped Australia to a 3-1 start at the World Cup and earned special praise from an unlikely source.

Aaron Finch has pulled all the right strings so far in England.

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Aaron Finch has proved himself to be the best captain of the World Cup, according to former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

Jettisoned into the role just nine months ago following the bans handed down to Steve Smith and David Warner, Finch has helped Australia to a 3-1 start to the tournament.

A captain previously in domestic and franchise cricket with the Melbourne Renegades, Finch has spoken at length about his own development as a leader in recent months.

Aaron Finch has pulled all the right strings so far in England.

And Vaughan believes it is showing on the biggest stage, with Australia having defended targets against West Indies and Pakistan over the past fortnight.

“I have to say Aaron Finch, so far in this tournament, for me he has been the best captain tactically,” Vaughan said.

“I think he manoeuvred his team against West Indies well to win that game.

“And just over the last hour (against Pakistan), when it started to get a little bit panicky for Australia, he manoeuvred his bowling attack knowing that he had to get these overs of spin (in).

“He left one (over of spin) late because he wanted to go for the glory in terms of winning the game with (Pat) Cummins and Starc, and it paid off. That’s what you have to do as a captain.”

Just as impressive as Finch’s captaincy has been his batting. Out of form just month ago, Finch is now sat fourth on the tournament’s run-scoring lists with 190 at an average of 47.50.

He also has the second highest strike rate of all openers who have scored above 100 runs at the tournament, with 106.74.

Finch said it had been important to separate his batting from his captaincy.

Aaron Finch has been in grerat form with the bat as well.

“The decisions you are making as a captain probably reflect how you are going as a batter more than anything,” he said.

“I feel as though when I am thinking really clearly and making good decisions out there, your batting seems to get on the back of that and when you are second-guessing all your decisions - which happens a bit - then you start doubting your batting.

“So it is a bit of a skill to be able to keep that separate and really concentrate on one but not both at the same time.

“Because it is a pretty hard game, international cricket if you are not 100 per cent focused.”

Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2019: Michael Vaughan calls Aaron Finch ‘best captain tactically’ in tournament