Cricket World Cup 2015: Mike Hussey urges Australia to stick with under fire batsman Aaron Finch

AUSTRALIA legend Mike Hussey has urged selectors to stick with Aaron Finch despite the opener having the lowest average of any Australian top six batsman.

CRICKET - Australian cricket team training at Adelaide Oval. Aaron Finch shows off his bruise after getting hit in the right shoulder. Photo Sarah Reed

AARON Finch’s form slump has become so extreme that despite scoring a hundred in the first game of the World Cup, he has the lowest average of any Australian top six batsman heading into Thursday’s knockout semi-final.

However, former Test and one-day great Mike Hussey says Australia should continue to gamble on their battling opener.

The big-hitting enforcer yesterday sought a private net session with batting coach Michael Di Venuto before Australian training even begun at the SCG.

WARNER’S ONE SLEDGE AWAY FROM DISASTER

AUSTRALIA CAN’T HACK THE PACE: LAXMAN

THE WINNING INGREDIENT AUSSIES DON’T HAVE

A smiling Aaron Finch after a one-on-one session with Australia batting coach Michael Di Venuto.

Since his hundred at the MCG in the World Cup opener, Finch has looked streaky at best with scores of 14, 4, 24, 20 and 2.

But Hussey is confident Finch is worth the angst and will prove himself when it counts.

“I think it’s a very dangerous thing to write off Aaron Finch,” Hussey told The Daily Telegraph.

“He’s that type of player, he’s going to score you an unbelievably good hundred and then the way he plays he’s going to miss out every now and then. That’s the way he goes about it.

“But the type of guy he is and the type of player he is, he’s just as likely to come out in a semi final or a final for that matter and play one of those unbelievable innings.

“So I think write him off at your peril is the answer for that.

“I think he’s really important for Australia I wouldn’t be worried about his form at all.”

It appears Australia have no choice but to stick with Finch at this stage of the tournament in any case.

Dropping him would force a potentially destabilising batting order makeover, especially now that the obvious replacement Shane Watson has settled himself at No.5.

But last week’s quarterfinal against Pakistan was heart attack-inducing proof that if early wickets fall at the top, even Australia’s all-class line-up are vulnerable to collapses.

As was the embarrassing 151-all-out defeat to New Zealand at Eden Park, where Finch also made way early.

Mike Hussey backs Aaron Finch to fire against India.

Finch’s first-class average of 29 says everything about his struggles with the moving ball.

Even in his career best 135 against England, Finch gave early chances, and should have been out in single figures.

Opposition teams pinpoint him as having “hard hands” and India will know good bowling can get their man early.

Finch averages 33.16 this World Cup, despite the big hundred.

The only other two Australians to have scored centuries this tournament — Glenn Maxwell and David Warner — average 75.25 and 57.6 respectively.

Finch has had a big 12 months in one-day cricket, but peaking at the right time is what counts in World Cups.