Geelong open to Aaron Finch return over the next fortnight

Fresh off an astonishing finish to his BBL campaign, Glenn Maxwell is expected to make a Premier Cricket comeback against Geelong tomorrow. Will his face his old housemate Aaron Finch?

Australian star Glenn Maxwell is expected to make his Premier Cricket return on Saturday, with Geelong planning to face the destructive hitter in a crunch clash.

With Australia’s white-ball series against New Zealand cancelled, Maxwell has a gap in his schedule and is set to line-up for his beloved Fitzroy Doncaster in Geelong.

Glenn Maxwell had an astonishing finish to his BBL campaign. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

Aussie skipper Aaron Finch was not named in Geelong’s side.

But the Cats will be almost at full-strength, with Melbourne Stars pair Brody Couch and Tom O’Connell back in the fold to tackle the Lions after their BBL campaign.

The two teams are placed ninth and 10th respectively on the Premier Cricket ladder, making Saturday’s clash a vital encounter for their finals chances.

While the Lions were yet to reveal their XI as late as 4pm on Friday, Geelong coach Nick Speak said he was told Maxwell would play.

Glenn Maxwell bowling in Geelong in 2019. Picture: Peter Ristevski

The destructive all-rounder was last seen on a cricket field belting an astonishing 154 off 64 balls for the Melbourne Stars in their final BBL game of the season and he inked a new four-year deal with the Stars on Friday.

“Obviously he is pretty dangerous so we just have to keep him out of the game, hopefully we bat first and we can keep him away from a free run at a big score,” Speak said.

Maxwell is no stranger to facing the Cats, he scored 49 against them last season and took two wickets on Geelong Cricket Ground in November 2019.

Speak said he was excited to see how fast bowler Couch would fare after his breakout BBL campaign, while middle-order batter Angus Boyd was unlucky to be dropped this week.

CATS OPEN TO AARON FINCH COMEBACK

THE “door is never shut” on Aaron Finch playing with Geelong, with the Cats open to accommodating the Australian captain now that the summer schedule has opened up.

With his Melbourne Renegades eliminated from the BBL and the planned Australia-New Zealand white-ball series now postponed, Finch finds himself with some rare time off in the middle of summer.

Australian skipper Aaron Finch is always welcome at Geelong. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images for T20 World Cup

His next task with the Australian side will be a five-match T20 series against Sri Lanka, starting on February 11.

That leaves the former Geelong skipper with two free Saturday’s in his calendar, with the Cats to host Fitzroy Doncaster this coming weekend and travel to Melbourne University next Saturday.

Geelong director of cricket Travis Agg said the club had been in loose contact with Finch since he last played in March 2017.

“The door is never shut for the Australian captain,” Agg said.

“To be honest, if Aaron come to us and said ‘I want to play, I would love a hit’ then we would accommodate him and we would do whatever we could to help him out because that would be great for our players and our supporters.

“But at the same time, he probably needs a rest.

“I think it would be highly unlikely. We keep in touch from time to time and it gets raised every now and then but probably his schedule is pretty full.

“There is a possibility but the reality would be he would determine (if he wanted to play).”

Aaron Finch playing for Geelong in 2015. Picture: Alison Wynd

Club captain from 2011-12 to 2013-14, Victorian and Australian duties in the years since have limited Finch to just five Premier Cricket appearances as he became one of the nations’ greatest ever white ball batters and earned a Baggy Green.

Finch, 35, is likely to opt for time off after battling knee injuries in the past 12 months and he and his wife Amy welcomed their first child, Esther, in September.

But Agg said the destructive batter would teach young Cats players plenty even in a cameo appearance.

Aaron Finch in his days as Cats skipper.

Glenn Maxwell played against Geelong in 2019. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Finch’s former housemate Glenn Maxwell is renowned for his love of his Premier Cricket club Fitzroy Doncaster, opening the possibility of an explosive clash if both decide to play on Saturday.

“(Finch) would be amazing for us as a club and it would be great experience for the players to play with him, but also it would be a really great way for him to continue his engagement with the club,” Agg said.

“At the same time we totally understand and respect that he is not just a player coming back, he is the Australian captain. He has enough on his plate and there are probably other things he would like to do.”

Originally published as Geelong open to Aaron Finch return over the next fortnight