We’re supportive of Cricket Australia’s position on the Afghanistan Test: Aaron Finch
Australia's limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch agrees with Cricket Australia should they officially defer the one-off Test against Afghanistan. A week ago, the Tasmania Cricket Association said the historic Test match was set for postponement due to the Taliban's refusal to allow women's cricket to prosper.
Although Cricket Australia hasn't officially declared a postponement yet, it remains fixed on promoting women's cricket as a necessity. Hence, they threatened to call off the Test match. However, the Afghanistan Board requested them for some time as they revealed their intent to promote women's cricket.
An update on the proposed Test match against Afghanistan ⬇️ https://t.co/p2q5LOJMlw
"It’s a really challenging time no doubt, but we’re supportive of Cricket Australia’s position," Aaron Finch told the reporters during a media call.
The official declaration of postponement by Cricket Australia will undoubtedly come as a massive blow for Afghanistan. The nation has been in turmoil since the Taliban's takeover in mid-August. Their participation in the T20 World Cup was also in doubt.
Aaron Finch speaks about Australia's preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup:
Meanwhile, Finch, who underwent knee surgery, will shortly depart for the UAE for the T20 World Cup. He feels the warm-up matches before their opening fixture against South Africa will be significant as there has been a lack of international games for a lot of players. The 34-year old said as quoted by cricket.com.au:
"It's a difficult one – there's quite a few guys who played in Bangladesh and the West Indies. Training indoors is no comparison to game intensity, so the two warm up games and the lead-in to the World Cup is going to be really crucial. They're going to be really important to get guys up to speed as quick as possible. But I've got a lot of confidence in the experience of the group."
Finch returned to the nets immediately after recovering; however, he hasn't played professional cricket since August. The veteran faces the daunting task of leading Australia, which has slumped to rank seventh in the T20s, to their first ICC T20 title. With the men in yellow clubbed with the Proteas, West Indies and England in Group 1, they could be eliminated in the Super 12 stage.