"Stop worrying about being perfect, stop worrying about getting out, and start thinking about scoring runs first" - Ricky Ponting's advice to out-of-form Aaron Finch
Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting has advised Aaron Finch to stop worrying about saving his wicket and instead focus on scoring runs. The white-ball skipper has been in far from good form over the last 18 months and is on the lookout for some runs under his belt ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The right-handed batter's woes continued after he was dismissed for just 15 while chasing 201 against Zimbabwe in the first ODI on Sunday, August 28.
Finch's form in the ODIs is a matter of grave concern as the Victoria-born batter has been dismissed for a duck on four occasions in his last eight innings.
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Skipper Aaron Finch, said Saturday, that Australia plan to test a new structure that provides greater batting depth and more bowling options in their opening ODI against Zimbabwe, with Marnus Labuschagne dropped.
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Opining that Finch should get the fear of getting dismissed completely out of his system, Ponting told CODE Sports:
“If I could give him any advice it’s, ‘Stop worrying about being perfect, stop worrying about getting out, and start thinking about scoring runs first’. If you think about scoring runs you’ll score runs, if you think about not getting out, you’ll get out. That’s certainly my experience in the game anyway."
The former captain added:
"But he’s crucial for them. If he’s captain and scoring runs, and in good form leading into a World Cup, I’m sure the Australian team will be in a lot better place.”
Finch famously led Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup title last year, despite a lukewarm campaign for himself with the bat in subcontinent conditions. The captain will have to prove his worth, especially with a slew of upcoming opening batters on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity.
"Anyone that’s played the game as a batter has been there at some stage in their career" - Ricky Ponting
Ponting recalled how he tried hard to be perfect during his struggles with the bat towards the end of his career. He retired from international cricket in 2012 after representing the nation for 17 years.
The Delhi Capitals head coach reached the zenith of his career when he led Australia to consecutive World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.
Most ODI Runs against TOP sides (Ind + Eng + Aus + Sa + NZ) since 2020 :
Kohli - 709
KL - 696
Finch - 673
Dhawan - 669
Bairstow - 613
QDK - 573
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Noting that every player goes through a rough patch towards the twilight of their career, Ponting said:
"I don’t know where he’s at, headspace wise now. But anyone that’s played the game as a batter has been there at some stage in their career. I know at the back-end of my career, when runs weren’t flowing quite as freely, the fact I was just trying too hard to be perfect and do everything right, I wasn’t allowing myself to free up and play the way I’ve always played."
Finch will be hoping to be among the runs in the remaining ODIs against Zimbabwe. The Men in Yellow take on the Regis Chakabva-led side next on Wednesday (August 31) at the Riverway Stadium in Queensland.
Should Finch retire from international cricket after the World Cup? Let us know what you think.