Selector George Bailey says Aaron Finch will captain Australia in the T20 World Cup
Amid raging doubts around Aaron Finch's batting and leadership credentials, cricketer-turned-selector George Bailey has backed Australia's white-ball skipper to lead the side in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The jury is out on Aaron Finch, owing to his horrendous run of form in the last six months. Former Australian cricketers, led by Mark Waugh, have recently hinted at Finch losing his spot even without any backup choice in sight.
Interacting with the Melbourne Herald Sun, George Bailey said Aaron Finch's criticism is "white noise" for him.
"He's got a terrific average, he's the captain of this side and he'll be the captain of this side at the World Cup. It (Aaron Finch's criticism) is just complete white noise for me," said Bailey.
Aaron Finch's form has been on the downward slope since the IPL 2020. Playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Finch averaged just over 22 from 12 matches last season.
The 34-year-old opener was dropped from the side mid-way and found himself out of the franchise for IPL 2021.
Generally a consistent run-scorer for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, Aaron Finch had a forgettable season there as well. In 13 trips to the crease, Finch could only collect 179 runs at an average of 13.77 and a strike rate of 113.29.
Talking about the same, Bailey attributed the poor returns to the grueling run of international cricket of late.
"He was pretty zonked. But he tried to do the right thing and get back to help a young (Melbourne) Renegades side. His reflection on that was that he probably should've sat longer out and come back a bit fresher," Bailey, who played 125 internationals for Australia, observed.
Aaron Finch will be in the top five or 10 leading run-scorers: George Bailey
Aaron Finch is the 2nd highest T20I run-scorer for Australia and 8th in the overall list. Bailey bellieves Finch will conclude his career among the top 10 run-scorers.
"He'd be in the top five or 10 leading run-scorers, and if he doesn't have the highest strike-rate amongst them he'd be absolutely close. And he's done it very, very consistently for Australia over a long period of time, and will continue to do so into the future," said Bailey.
Finch is currently involved in a 5-match T20I series against New Zealand. The Kiwis are leading 2-0 after two games and Finch has, till now, managed a highest score of 12.
The backing of a national selector will certainly help Finch's cause. However, he will still look for some self-assuring return to form in the 3rd T20I on March 3.