T20 World Cup: Aaron Finch’s horror record against nemesis Trent Boult revealed

Aaron Finch has turned to a former trans-Tasman superstar to help get him over the line against Black Cap quick Trent Boult, who the Aussie captain admits has his number.

Aaron Finch has employed the artificial left arm of New Zealand’s greatest wicket-taker to try and avoid being humbled by Trent Boult on the World Cup launching pad.

Finch admits Black Cap quick Boult has dominated him over the years but revealed focused sessions with kiwi great and now Aussie assistant coach Daniel Vettori has mimicked the left-arm destroyer he is set to duel with in Saturday night’s gripping tournament opener.

Boult nailed Finch lbw in the third over of last month’s series in Cairns to effectively draw the curtains on the Aussie captain’s stellar ODI career, and the winner of the gripping new ball clash at the SCG could be game-defining.

As a crafty left-arm spinner, Vettori took more wickets than any other New Zealander across all formats, but he’s armed himself with rapid-fire wanger to pepper Finch in the nets with the kind of artillery Boult will be aiming at his front pad from ball one of the World Cup final rematch.

Aaron Finch has taken part in a special net session to adapt to the sort of bowling he can expect from Trent Boult.

Finch says the sessions have reinforced on him the importance of not letting Boult dictate terms.

“I think at times I’ve been a bit more negative to left-arm bowlers. You’re almost batting trying not to get out as opposed to trying to be proactive,” Finch said.

“… He (Boult) had my number no doubt. I still feel as though I’ve got a really solid game plan. There’s some technical things I can do to a left-armer that can help that.

“We’ve obviously got Dan Vettori who can throw and stick left-handed. It’s just about doing it more and more.

“Trent is an unbelievable bowler, he has been for 10 or 12 years now.”

Finch said he must keep his thought process simple and his mind clear as Boult zeroes in.

“Just watch the ball. That’s all you can control,” he said.

“When you make some small technical changes, under pressure in your first five to 10 balls your technique generally defaults back to what you’ve done for the last, 30 years in my case.

“Your footwork patterns remain pretty similar. As soon as you start thinking about that when the bowler is running in, you’re dead.

“You’ve got no chance. You’re not paying 100 per cent attention to the ball.

“I’m confident when we walk out, we’ll be ready to go.”

Australia are yet to finalise an XI due to the dodgy weather forecast in Sydney, but in all likelihood they will field the same XI that defeated New Zealand in last year’s T20 World Cup final, with the exception of Tim David in for Steve Smith.

The winner of the gripping new ball clash between Boult and Finch at the SCG could be game-defining.

Finch is hopeful he will be able to call upon all-rounder Mitchell Marsh as a bowling option for the first time this summer, but if not Marsh will play as a specialist No.3 batsman anyway, with new squad addition Cameron Green to watch from the stands.

Vettori isn’t the only trans-Tasman star to go behind enemy lines, with former Australian star and Sydney Sixers Big Bash spin ace Steve O’Keefe spotted in the SCG nets on match eve assisting New Zealand’s bowlers become acclimatised with conditions he knows like the back of his hand.

“Our coach (Gary Stead) knows Steve and he was keen to come along,” said kiwi captain, Kane Williamson.

“We have a number of spinners in our group that were keen to have a bit of a chat and he knows these conditions as well as anybody. It was a nice opportunity for them to have a few conversations with a very experienced spinner in this format.”

No team has ever won a Twenty20 World Cup at home, and no team has ever won titles back-to-back.

Australia is out to rewrite history on both fronts this tournament, and Finch is adamant in the fickle T20 format — self-belief is the single most important ingredient for his team to harness.

“What we learned from the last World Cup is that if the team has real good belief, that goes a long way and rubs off on each other,” said Finch.

“It’s unmeasurable in terms of stats, but the belief in the group was unbelievably high last year when no one gave us any chance at all.

“We feel as though we still have that belief.”

Aaron Finch and his teammates are attempting to become the first country to win back-to-back titles.

Finch’s horror record against World Cup nemesis revealed

Shane Watson has urged Aaron Finch to fight fire with fire when he faces the deadly Kiwi weapon who could shape his World Cup destiny.

Finch made a blistering return to form in Australia’s final warm-up against India, but he will have a target put on his front pad by New Zealand nemesis Trent Boult on Saturday night at the SCG.

Boult has dismissed Finch six times in international cricket, with the most recent scalp contributing to the Australian captain’s decision to retire from ODIs on the eve of this World Cup.

Watson also found himself an lbw target at stages of his outstanding career and his advice to Finch is to launch out of the gates with a mindset that he will be the one dictating terms.

“That’s the ultimate challenge, knowing when a team has someone in particular who can really access your weakness, that’s where your preparation is so important,” said Watson.

“The mindset is probably the most important thing, because when you’re not batting well against someone who can access your weakness and really expose your weakness, you’re only looking for that ball, which means you’re missing out on other scoring opportunities.

Australia's captain Aaron Finch has a rough record against Trent Boult. Picture: AFP

“I know for me, that wasn’t when I was at my best and that’s also the same for Aaron Finch.

“Aaron certainly has got the incredible skill to be able to come back at what Trent Boult’s got.

“It was great signs that he scored runs against India because they’ve got bowlers who can expose his weakness and he was able to score some really nice runs there. So fingers crossed those mental and technical components can come together and match up and put it back to Trent Boult.

“Everyone has their fingers crossed that he can put that on display to really set the tone for the Aussies at this World Cup.

“He won’t be dying wondering.”

Watson was scratching his head at why Australia mixed and matched their best XI in the warm-up matches – including the decision to bat Finch down the order for three games.

Having lived through the 2016 World Cup when Australia couldn’t decide on its best side, Watson is hoping Australia is feeling more settled on the inside than what it’s appeared on the outside.

However, Finch’s ability to post two half centuries during the practice matches against West Indies and India has allowed the captain to enter the World Cup opener against New Zealand with a fresh outlook after looking drained of confidence during his ODI form slump.

Trent Boult has dismissed Aaron Finch six times in international cricket. Picture: Getty

Watson said the switch in formats will work in Finch’s favour when he comes up against Boult again at the SCG, because he doesn’t even have to think about batting time as he would in an ODI.

“You see the way Aaron Finch bats when he’s at his best. He does really take on the game and he will go in those first couple of balls of a T20 with great energy and intent to take on the bowlers,” said Watson.

“... He’s more chance of being able to really combat what Trent Boult has got in T20 cricket because he really just has that mindset from ball one.

“I know we’ll see that because that is when he’s at his best to combat that ball coming in (at his pads), or just in general anyway.

“That’s why I’m not worried in that regard.

“He’ll be going at the bowlers.”

Originally published as T20 World Cup: Aaron Finch’s horror record against nemesis Trent Boult revealed