Cricket: Finch’s second-stringers smashed by NZ in series decider

Aaron Finch has saved his job like ScoMo did in 2019 but Australia was annihilated in the deciding match of the T20 series in New Zealand.

Australian captain Aaron Finch rediscovered some form but lost the series

Aaron Finch has pulled off the most sensational retention of office since Scott Morrison knocked over Bill Shorten to remain Prime Minister. His tourists were annihilated by New Zealand in the T20 series decider on Sunday, but proving this really is the funniest old game of all, Finch’s captaincy was no longer in dispute.

He could have walked out of Wellington’s Sky Stadium by stealing Morrison’s most famous line of the 2019 federal election: “I’ve always believed in miracles.”

Finch needed a miracle when his only runs were a run of outs and Australia trailed 0-2. The five-match series looked a lost cause and the skipper appeared a helpless case, flailing and failing in his bread-and-butter job as opening batsman.

He seemed plum LBW for a golden duck in game three, but the umpire shook his head, the DRS saved him by a coat of varnish and he made consecutive half-centuries to help level the series at 2-2. Miracle.

But on Sunday Australia was well and truly flogged at the Cake Tin after posting a moderate 8-142. Yet again Mitchell Marsh was bumped so far down the order that he barely got a hit. What a waste. Australia’s obsession with left-hand, right-hand batting combinations sent southpaw Ashton Agar to the crease ahead of Marsh in the middle of the 15th over.

Australia were 4-103 at a time ripe for Marsh, one of the most thunderous hitters in world cricket, to stride forth. Instead, Agar poked around for six runs from seven balls and by the time Marsh arrived like an afterthought, it was the third ball of the 18th over and the innings was nearly over.

He muscled a six but only faced nine balls, for 10 runs. The Kiwis reached 3-143 with more than five overs up their sleeves.

Finch made 36 from 32 deliveries. It was his most commanding innings of the tour but finished just when he was attempting to properly flourish.

His head was still. His timing was formidable. He had a bit of a swagger about him again. Confidence, eh? You’d bottle it, take a swig every morning.

It’s incredible to think the face of Australian cricket for most of this year is his. Test captain Tim Paine won’t be sighted until November. It’s all white ball cricket between now and then which means the leader of the only Australian cricket teams in action, in series’ against the West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before the T20 World Cup in India, is Finch.

He needs a new bowling attack after this one was belted all over the Cake Tin in what became an absolute flogging.

Luckily for Finch, he will get one. Australia ended up paying dearly for having its second-string team and even its first-choice spinner, Adam Zampa, was treated with disdain. Kiwi opener Martin Guptill hit him onto the roof during a barrage of fours and sixes in a series-winning knock of 71 from 46 balls.

Rather than throwing speedsters Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc at the hosts, Finch had to use Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson, none of whom got the job done, although Meredith again distinguished himself.

The lightning quick trapped NZ captain Kane Williamson LBW for a golden duck. Meredith bowled two deliveries to Williamson in the series and dismissed him twice. Bunny. He was on a hat-trick before finishing with 2-39.

Zampa had an inglorious moment when he and Marcus Stoinis dawdled towards a possible catch from Guptill, and his figures were similarly regrettable and sluggish. His first over went for 28 runs. Defeat was suffered when he was hit for a six. He trudged off with 2.3-0-43-0 next to his name.

The series finished with Finch’s position being the least of Australia’s worries. Yet another example of it being the funniest old game of all. The face of cricket in this country for the foreseeable future has some designer stubble and a respectable haircut. There’s not a tattoo or earring to be seen. His build is more David Boon than the body beautiful, he’s articulate, and he’s proved his resilience by escaping a horror run of form. His XI at the World Cup will be more powerful than this one – and he will be thanking his lucky stars for that.

Finch rued the failure of himself, Matt Wade (44 runs from 29 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (26 from 26) to do a Guptill by powering to a substantial score after chewing up a lot of balls.

“We probably just weren’t aggressive enough with the bat,” Finch said. “Myself led that at the top, probably let them dictate slightly. We didn’t get enough runs. We kept losing wickets at regular intervals. A couple of us put a fair bit of time into our innings – 20, 30, 40 balls – and then to not go on with it was probably the difference in the game.

“If one of us gets 60 or 70, that might be a 160, 170 score and then you’re only a couple of good overs away from really squeezing. Our constant improvement from game one through to game four was really pleasing … but New Zealand are a great cricket side and we just weren’t quite at our best today.”