"I think spin will play a big part, especially in the middle overs" - Aaron Finch expects spinners to be an important part of the 2022 T20 World Cup
Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch believes spin bowlers will be a vital part of the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup. The 35-year-old and his team will have the chance to defend their title on home soil, with the tournament set to commence on October 16.
Fast bowlers are expected to play a vital role in the pacy and bouncy surfaces Down Under. However, spinners have been able to influence the shortest format regardless of the conditions.
During the last ICC event held in Australia, the 2015 ICC World Cup, spinners made their presence felt despite the pacers claiming plaudits. The likes of Imran Tahir, Daniel Vettori, and Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed extremely productive campaigns.
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Aaron Finch recently spoke during the celebrations devoted to the 100-day countdown to the tournament. He opined that spin will play a part in the T20 World Cup considering the large boundary sizes and said:
"Spin is always going to have an impact in T20 cricket especially on bigger grounds in Australia. Here you have got to hit it a way to get it to the boundary so I think spin will play a big part, especially in the middle overs. Wickets in middle overs are going to be crucial as well."
Finch added:
"All the stats suggest, if you are two down going into the final five overs it doesn’t matter who is bowling. You could have the best (bowler) of all time they are still going to cop some pain."
Spin bowling played a huge hand in Australia's title-winning campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Adam Zampa thrived while bowling in spin-friendly conditions and was the joint second-highest wicket taker in the tournament with 13 scalps to his name.
The leg-spinner will likely be the first choice option in the spin department for this year's edition as well. However, Aaron Finch will also have Glenn Maxwell at his disposal, with the off-spinner chipping in with a few overs in recent tournaments as well.
Maxwell bowled consistently in the powerplay for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"His ability to upskill so quickly is not a surprise as he is highly skilled" - Aaron Finch on Josh Hazlewood's rise in T20 cricket
Australia have at their disposal one of the most well-rounded pace bowling attacks. The trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been a force to be reckoned with across all formats over the last few years. Hazlewood in particular has enjoyed an incredible rise when it comes to T20 cricket.
: BCCI/IPLJosh Hazlewood's unbelievable T20 form continued last night!
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Earlier considered a traditional line and length bowler with minimal variations, Hazlewood was not high in the pecking order for Australia in the shortest format. The right-arm pacer has added a lot to his reportoire now, with his performances for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021 laying down a marker.
Claiming that Hazlewood has the consistency and ability to adapt to all conditions, Aaron Finch said:
"His ability to upskill so quickly is not a surprise as he is highly skilled. How consistent he is and how efficient in all conditions has been remarkable, but not surprising."
FInch concluded:
"He has always had the skill. For such a long time his focus was just on Test cricket and he didn't have a proper block of training to concentrate on T20 cricket. I think he got that in the lead-up to the last World Cup, while playing all 14 games for Chennai (Super Kings) plus a couple of finals in the IPL (also helped)."
Aaron Finch's Australia have been drawn alongside England, New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 1 of the Super 12s at the T20 World Cup. Two more teams will join the group following the culmination of the qualification stage.