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Finch earns endorsement following familiar questions

One of Australia’s most experienced players has backed skipper Aaron Finch to find form after a lean run with the bat

Aaron Finch has received a rousing endorsement to find form before this year's World Cup, with Matthew Wade backing him to dispel the same doubts David Warner faced before last year's World Cup.

Finch, who selflessly demoted himself to No.3 for two games against Sri Lanka as the Aussies experimented with Ashton Agar at the top of the order, was dismissed for single digits in his three innings opening the batting.

During a rapid-fire series that saw the teams play each other five times in nine days in three different cities, the 35-year-old comfortably spent the most time in the nets of any of the Australian T20 squad members as he sought to find form.

Former limited-overs opener Mark Waugh told Fox Cricket this week that Finch "is not the player he was … I think the stats do back that up".

The criticism has echoes of the questions asked last year of Warner (who along with Mitch Marsh was rested for the five-match Dettol T20I campaign that Australia won 4-1) when he was dropped from his Indian Premier League team only weeks before the start of the World Cup.

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Finch's long-time white-ball opening partner then piled on 289 runs in seven innings at a strike-rate of 146.70 to earn player-of-the-tournament honours and lead Australia to their maiden T20 title.

"It feels like these questions have come before the last World Cup and after the first couple of games about David," said Wade, no stranger to his own place in the Australian side coming in for public debate. 

"Everyone had their say about Davey and he got player of the tournament in the World Cup.

"Finchy's a class player and I've heard people questioning where he's at. He averages (close to) 40 and strikes at 140 for a reason. He's a class player and he's the captain of our team.

"The questions are always going to come when you get a little bit older and you don't do well in one series. But they (Finch and Warner) are class players for a reason and the best we've had in T20 cricket ever.

"I don't expect any change at the top of the order to be honest. Those two will be there in the World Cup, I'm confident in that and when the big game comes, they will nail it."

Wade's point about Finch's sterling career T20 numbers is valid; the 35-year-old is Australia's all-time leading run scorer in the international T20 cricket, averaging 35 with a strike-rate of 146.

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The next most prolific Aussie batter is Warner, who averages 33 and strikes at 140.

But there is also merit in Waugh's point, with recent numbers suggesting Finch has not been at his best.

In the 17 T20 Internationals Australia have played since the start of July last year, Finch is averaging 20 while his strike-rate over that period is only 111.

His batting average of 15.6 against Sri Lanka was his second lowest in a bilateral series where he has batted at least three times.

It would have been easy for Finch to demand to remain in his familiar opening spot for the duration of this series, but Australia's skipper was willing to bat as far down as five for the greater good.

Newcomer Ben McDermott was given a five-game run at opening the batting having previously been shunted up and down every middle-order position between four and seven in his previous 17 T20Is.

Agar's promotion when he returned to the team meant Wade and Marcus Stoinis were able to continue to familiarise themselves with their lower-order roles, spots Australia have notoriously struggled to fill.

"It’s a position that hasn't been questioned (much) before and I don’t think there should be questions. Finchy's a class player, look at his record," Wade, whose growing confidence down the order showed with his 43no off 27 during Sunday’s defeat at the MCG, told cricket.com.au.

"McDermott is going to come good. I think McDermott is going through exactly what Marcus Stoinis speaks about – you've got to create a bit of scar tissue.

"You're going to come in and you're doing to do good in a few games and not so good (at times) when you first come in at this level.

"It's hard work mentally. He'll learn a lot – he's played five games in a row, which he has probably never done before."

Men's T20 World Cup 2022

First round

Group A: Sri Lanka, Namibia, two qualifiers

Group B: West Indies, Scotland, two qualifiers

Super 12 stage

Group 1: Australia, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, A1, B2

Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, B1, A2

Australia's T20 World Cup 2022 fixtures

Oct 22: v New Zealand, SCG, 6pm AEDT

Oct 25: v A1, Optus Stadium, 10pm AEDT

Oct 28: v England, MCG, 7pm AEDT

Oct 31: v B2, Gabba, 7pm AEDT

Nov 4: v Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Semi-finals

Nov 9: SCG, 7pm AEDT

Nov 10: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Final

Nov 13: MCG, 7pm AEDT