BBL TV wars as Aaron Finch and Tim Paine face off in captaincy clash
Australia’s two cricket captains are on a collision course as a Big Bash League battle for television supremacy pits Aaron Finch and Tim Paine against each other.
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Australia’s two cricket captains will square off against each other in a BBL battle of the airways.
Fox Cricket have secured the major coup of adding white ball wizard Aaron Finch to their commentary team for the BBL finals, while rivals Channel 7 will utilise Test skipper Tim Paine for the pointy end of the tournament.
It means the two highest office holders in Australian men’s cricket will be in competition in a potential pointer to their future careers post cricket.
It comes as T20 captain Aaron Finch anoints BBL journeyman Jono Wells as a potential World Cup bolter for Australia.
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No player has impressed Finch more than the no-frills Adelaide Strikers finisher Wells who he has identified as a missing link that could force his way into Australia’s relatively settled squad leading into the World Cup on home soil later this year.
Wells might not make as much noise as the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Chris Lynn and D’Arcy Short, but the largely unheralded Tasmanian has carved out a niche as one of the Big Bash’s most reliable matchwinners.
Fox believe Finch possesses one of the sharpest cricket brains in the business, and the Australian skipper’s first prediction is that one of the top run-scorers of the BBL finals offers a skill set Australia might need to beak its T20 World Cup drought.
“The player who has been so consistent for a long time is Jonny Wells. He’s someone who whenever his side has been in some trouble, he’s got them out of a spot and got them to a really competitive total,” said Finch.
“I think when the team is going well he tends to put a bit of icing on the cake. He’s such an experienced Twenty20 player now that he adapts to a lot of different situations. He’s someone who has been that impressive for quite a few years now and just keeps getting it done year after year.”
Finch will move into the commentary box after the Melbourne Renegades season wraps up, with the defending champions now no chance of making the finals.
“It’s unfortunate about the Renegades season, but I can’t wait for the opportunity (from Fox). It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” said Finch.
“I think playing and captaining for so many years, I can bring another dimension to it and give some insight into how you go about planning and preparing against certain players and the strengths and weaknesses they bring to the table. I’ll be able to add something in that regard I think.”
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Australia’s T20 middle-order is yet to be fully tested after Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell at the top of the order trounced Sri Lanka and Pakistan earlier this summer on their own.
Wells at 31 years old is uncapped in all formats, but his domestic T20 average of 35 and strike-rate of 124 makes him one of the format’s most proven performers over a large sample size of 88 games.
His emergence could put Australian incumbents like Ben McDermott and Ashton Turner under pressure.
The one batsman who has stood out ahead of Wells (406 runs) is Marcus Stoinis (590 runs), but that doesn’t mean the Melbourne Stars linchpin is shortening for a World Cup recall.
Australia sees Stoinis has a top-three option only in T20 cricket, and he is unlikely to force out Finch, Warner or Smith.
Finch expects Stoinis’ Melbourne Stars to break their BBL curse once and for all and take out the tournament, but said Wells’ Strikers can’t be written off.
“The Stars have a pretty clear game plan. They go out and try and flog it and bat around Stoinis really,” said Finch.
“They’re the team to beat in my opinion but the Adelaide Strikers are a very good side. They’ve given the Stars trouble twice this year and I can see that happening again.”