Finch’s message for the red-ball doubters

Aaron Finch has a simple message for critics who say he doesn't have the game to succeed in long-form cricket – take a look at the numbers.

Almost seven years since he launched a highly successful limited-overs career for Australia, Finch is seemingly just weeks away from adding a Baggy Green cap to his impressive resume in the first of two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE.

In many ways, Finch has been a victim of his own success; his dominant form against the white ball, combined with an unflattering first-class average that has at times dropped below 30, has led many to pigeonhole him as a limited-overs specialist.

But Finch says such criticism, especially in recent years, is unfair.

"I don't understand why (people would) say that," he told cricket.com.au.

"I think my record over the last two or three years in the longer formats has been pretty consistent.

"(And) my form against the white ball has been very good, so I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."

Recent first-class figures support Finch's claim that he's more than just a white-ball slogger; of all current Australian batters, excluding banned duo Steve Smith and David Warner, Finch's first-class average of 41.07 over the past two years has him ranked 11th nationwide, ahead of fellow Test squad members Matthew Renshaw (40.98), Marnus Labuschagne (38.41) and Mitchell Marsh (32.49) and only marginally behind Shaun Marsh (42.31) and Travis Head (42.00).

Test discards Peter Handscomb (42.14), Joe Burns (41.79) and Glenn Maxwell (41.19) would point to their own averages in that time to further lament their absence, but Finch at least deserves to be in the conversation.

In fact, since the winter of 2014, when Finch first took up a County Championship contract, the Victorian has 2,260 runs at 44.31 in first-class cricket.

Some still yearn for the glory days of Australian cricket when batters had to average at least 50 to even be an outside chance of earning a call-up, but these are extraordinary times.

And Ricky Ponting, part of that golden era who himself averaged 57 in the two years leading up to his own Test debut in 1995, is in no doubt Finch is ready for the top level.

"I've seen Finchy up close and personal over the last seven or eight months ... (and) there's no doubt he's a different player than even he was 12 months ago," Ponting told cricket.com.au recently.

"He understands his own game better than he ever has.

"His four-day cricket for Victoria has probably been better than anyone else in the country, probably apart from Renshaw."

While Finch's four-day cricket has improved, it was his red-hot form against the white ball this year that vaulted him into Test calculations; his average of almost 70 in 17 limited overs internationals in 2018 is the highest of any batter in the world and hundreds in Melbourne, Brisbane, Durham and Harare underlined why he instils genuine fear into bowlers worldwide.

In the past 15 years, the prominent examples of Andrew Symonds in 2004-05 and George Bailey in 2013-14 suggest that selecting Test players based on white-ball form can be a dangerous business.

But Finch believes his northern summer spent with English county Surrey, where he posted scores of 58, 131*, 83, 43*, 30, 117*, 16, 67*, 44* in an extraordinary run in the T20 Blast, has given him the dual benefit of good form in spinning conditions and bucket loads of confidence.

As well as the belief that his ultra-aggressive game can succeed on the dry and low surfaces of the Arabian desert.

"I think the principles of the game are still the same," he says.

"And it was really nice to play on some wickets at The Oval that spun a lot. The last four-day game I played there was with a pink ball and it spun square, it was a really slow turner.

"So I think that helps, definitely. And something that I've been working on is my play against spin as well, so let’s see how it goes.

"I probably was a little bit more aggressive in England, particularly in county cricket. I was ultra-aggressive and it seemed to pay off.

"So maybe I can start going even harder."

Image Id: 4108BF81D934498B9D6077CDB66D5659 Image Caption: Finch trains at the ICC Academy in Dubai // Cricket Network

Qantas Tour of the UAE

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Sep 29 - Oct 2: Tour match v Pak A, Dubai

Oct 7-11: First Test, Dubai

Oct 16-20: Second Test, Abu Dhabi