Aaron Finch: Batsmen to blame for Australia’s horror 34-year ODI low

VICE-CAPTAIN Aaron Finch pointed the finger firmly at the batting group for Australia’s horror ODI form as the team tries desperately to avoid losing four consecutive series for the first time in history.

Aaron Finch has scored just 19 runs in two innings.

REGULAR mistakes and middle-order collapses are to blame for a horror period of Australian one-day cricket that has seen the five-time World Champions slump to their lowest ranking in 34 years.

Already 2-0 down to England, after a 4-1 series defeat in the home summer, the defending champions are staring down the barrel of losing four consecutive ODI series for the first time in history and have slipped to sixth on the rankings for the first time since 1984.

Vice-captain Aaron Finch, who hasn’t played in a one-day win since September last year, pointed the finger firmly at the batting group which he said too often failed to get the job done.

Aaron Finch has scored just 19 runs in two innings.

Finch has scores of 19 and zero in the two games in England this tour and only two players, Glenn Maxwell at The Oval then Shaun Marsh in Cardiff, have passed 50.

While the bowling line-up has excuses with so many front-liners missing, Finch conceded the batsmen don’t, given all except D’Arcy Short that have played so far have ODI hundreds.

He said it was time for them to stand up, or stand aside with several players, like Usman Khawaja who expressed his disappointment at missing this tour, itching for their chance.

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“In the last couple of series we’ve been below par and really behind the eight ball from the start of the series, so to be 2-0 down in this one is not ideal,” Finch said as the Aussies arrived in Nottingham for a must win game three on Tuesday night.

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“It’s frustrating, obviously. At times I think we’re playing some good cricket, at times we’re making some mistakes that seem to be happening pretty regularly. Mainly as a batting group.

“We keep talking about middle-order collapses and losing wickets in clumps and it keeps happening. I don’t know whether we’re working ourselves up into a frenzy about things like that. But it’s disappointing.

“It’s just about getting better, challenging each other to get better all the time with our decision making and execution.”

Australia coach Justin Langer is searching for the right balance. Picture: Getty

New coach Justin Langer is still searching for the right batting mix to try and find the nearly 10,000 ODI runs lost through the suspensions of David Warner and Steve Smith.

D’Arcy Short was brought in to open for game two and Finch, who opened in 87 of his 88 one day games before the series, dropped to five. But that didn’t work.

Spinner Ashton Agar, with 86 runs in two matches, has more than doubled the output of Travis Head (24 runs), Marcus Stoinis (31), Finch (19) and new captain Tim Paine (27).

Usman Khawaja is itching to get back into the ODI team. Picture: AAP

The challenge has been laid down by new coach Justin Langer to the batsmen to lift individually and as a group and Finch said that 12 months out from the next World Cup they had to start delivering.

“We’ve got to win a series still. It’s up to us now to try and win three on the bounce,” Finch said.

“Each day we are trying to get better and we are still trying 100 per cent. We haven’t been on the right side of the wins, and that’s because we haven’t played well enough. But we are still trying.

“There’s quite a few young guys in our team but all the guys, except D’Arcy, have hundreds, so there is no lack of skill there. It’s just putting it all together at once. It is frustrating, but we are having a crack, we are all trying to improve.”

Alex Carey, brought on the tour as a batsman with Paine locked in as a keeper, is yet to get a game but could yet come in for game three at Trent Bridge.

BATSMEN BELOW PAR

Aussie runs in England through two games

Shaun Marsh 155

Glenn Maxwell 93

Ashton Agar 86

Marcus Stoinis 31

AJ Tye 29

Tim Paine 27

Travis Head 24

D’Arcy Short 21 runs (one match)

Aaron Finch 19