Finch wary of Pakistan opener

Aaron Finch has named Pakistan’s biggest threat ahead of Australia’s T20 final matchup with the World No.1 side.

With scores of 61, 47 and 73 in the T20 Tri-Series already, Fakhar Zaman has been an anchor atop the Pakistani order and Finch knows his wicket will be crucial.

“I think Fakhar Zaman has been outstanding and a real thorn in our side. He’s also been consistent in this format for a long time,” Finch said ahead of the Sunday’s final.

“In T20 cricket a lot of the time it’s the openers that set the tone, Fakhar is in good form.”

Australia missed an opportunity to claim the T20 No.1 ranking after their 45-run loss to Pakistan in the group stage but have had three resounding victories from four matches and can rise to second on the rankings with victory in Harare’s decider.

But after a period of four months without a single victory in any format, Finch said the team hadn’t put any pressure on rising up the ICC rankings.

“On this tour there’s been no talk about us having to win the tournament to become number one, it’s about winning a tournament for Australia,” Finch said.

The Australia captain’s 2018 T20 form has been sublime, amassing more than 400 runs including a mammoth 172 against Zimbabwe. 

But despite his two most recent outings being well below his lofty standards, Finch remains optimistic.

“I feel like I’m playing very well at the moment, I’m not too bothered by a couple of low scores to be honest,” he said.

“T20 cricket tends to be a little high risk at the start of the innings, as long as I’m moving well and hitting the ball in the middle of the bat, I’m pretty confident.

“Hopefully I can get a few (runs) in the final.”