"I tried to play it down as much as I could" - Aaron Finch weighs on toss' importance after T20 World Cup 2021 final
T20 World Cup 2021-winning captain Aaron Finch weighed in on the toss' importance in Australia's triumph on Sunday. Finch remarked that he tried to "play it down" earlier in anticipation of finding himself at the wrong end at some point, but admitted that it was a "big factor" throughout the tournament, including the final.
Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets to clinch their maiden men's T20 World Cup title in Dubai. The battle was arguably half won when Aaron Finch called it right at the toss - his sixth in seven games - and opted to bowl first.
This allowed Australia to enjoy the dew advantage in the second innings and chase down New Zealand's 173-run target in 18.5 overs. Speaking to the press after the match, Aaron Finch said:
"That did play a big factor, to be honest. I tried to play it down as much as I could because I thought at some point in the tournament I am going to lose the toss and we'll have to bat first. But it did play a big part. You saw at the end there that with the dew the slower ones weren't holding in the wicket as much. I don't how I did it (winning so many tosses), maybe it was just fate."
The toss' importance is best summed up by the fact that no team in this whole tournament won in Dubai after batting first. In the last 18 night T20s at the venue, the chasing sides won the match on 17 occasions with the only exception being the IPL 2021 final.
The best thing that Finch has done in this tournament for Australia is that he has won 6 out of 7 tosses. And in the one match he didn't win the toss, he top scored with 44 off 49.
The late start of these matches ensured the team batting second played with dew already settled on the pitch and the outfield. This helped the ball to come quicker onto the bats while being difficult to grip for the bowlers.
"Take nothing away from the quality of Australia" - Kane Williamson on the toss
5️⃣ World Cups
2️⃣ Champions Trophy
1️⃣ T20 World Cup
Aaron Finch completes Australia's limited-overs trophy cabinet 🙌
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Losing captain Kane Williamson was asked a similar question in the press conference before Aaron Finch. He too admitted that the toss and dew had some effect on the game but not without gracefully lauding his opponents for showing quality and playing "superbly well" in the World Cup.
Williamson said:
"It did have an effect, you know, some dew did come in but take nothing away from the quality of Australia. They came out in the final and played superbly well. Credit goes to them and the way they played their cricket for the last three weeks."
While the Australian players will get a short break before starting their preparations for the Ashes, Kane Williamson and Co. will be back in action on November 17, playing India in a three-match T20I series.