Renegades coach backs Aaron Finch to come out swinging in Big Bash return
Aaron Finch has blamed himself for falling out of the Test team as the slashing batsman returns to Melbourne to play on Australia’s worst cricket pitch.
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Aaron Finch has blamed himself for falling out of the Test team as the slashing batsman returns to Melbourne to play on Australia’s worst cricket pitch.
Victoria reaffirmed it bats Finch at No.5 to maximise his destructive power against the red ball but he was cut from Australia without a crack in the middle order.
Finch will return to the crease on Monday when he opens the batting for Melbourne Renegades on the tricky Marvel Stadium wicket.
“The (Marvel Stadium pitch) wasn’t probably where the groundsman would’ve liked it himself,” Renegades coach Andrew McDonald said.
“The roof closing creates some complexities there in terms of the moisture, it seems to sweat up. That’s something he’ll learn, he’s new to the job this year.”
No player has reached 40 runs under the roof this summer with a wicket falling every 13.9 deliveries. The venue run-rate of 5.9 per over is clearly the worst in the Big Bash League and players have lined up to pot the pitch.
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Finch’s first taste of Test cricket lasted just five matches after he was forced to open the batting and then axed with an average of 27.8 runs.
Australian coach Justin Langer cruelly denied giving Finch a chance in the middle order – where he excels for Victoria – as unproven Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne got the nod for the SCG Test.
“I’ve said all along, we bat Finchy where we best think our team needs him, and the Australian team did exactly the same,” McDonald, who also coaches Victoria, said.
“Justin (Langer) thought he was the right man for the job at that time, and that’s what you do.
“I still think he’s good enough to play Test cricket, whether he gets another opportunity is out of my hands and out of Finchy’s hands through some degree.
“It’s (up to) the four guys who sit around the table and subjectively pick a side, which is the selectors.”
Asked why the Vics pick Finch in the middle, McDonald said: “Because we’ve got two really good openers, a good No.3, and that leaves No.4, 5 and 6.
“We see him being destructive against the ball that’s probably not moving as much. The higher up you go you get tested with the way you play, and we believe for Victoria he can really take down spin.
“We think he’s a really good player of spin and can turn games at No.4, 5 and 6.”
McDonald said Finch was “OK” after his swift axing.
“He had an opportunity, he didn’t quite nail it,” McDonald said.
“He’s probably hard on himself. Good players are great self-reflectors … and that’s where he’s at. Our job is to shift his attention to white-ball cricket, which will be a nice feeder into the one-day international series.”
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Originally published as Renegades coach backs Aaron Finch to come out swinging in Big Bash return
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