Stoinis slams criticism of struggling skipper Finch

Marcus Stoinis has voiced a strong endorsement of struggling skipper Aaron Finch, claiming the out-of-form opener is crucial to Australia's hopes at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India later this year.

Stoinis, who carried Australia to the brink of a remarkable but ultimately unsuccessful run chase against New Zealand at Dunedin this afternoon, also reaffirmed Finch maintains the unstinting support of his team and has shown in the past how readily he can snap out of batting slumps.

Finch was today dismissed for 12 scored from 14 balls (including one boundary) before his team fell four runs short of their 220-run victory target, meaning he has now gone 11 T20 innings in KFC BBL and international matches without reaching 20.

But Stoinis – top-scorer in Australia's 8-215 with an explosive 78 from 37 balls amid a record-breaking seventh-wicket stand of 92 from 37 deliveries with Daniel Sams – holds no doubt his former Victoria teammate and national men's limited-overs captain will turn around his recent lean run.

And he pointed to the start of the current summer when Finch returned from an unproductive stint in the Indian Premier League (268 runs from 12 innings at an average of 22) and promptly blasted 114 from 124 balls in the opening Dettol Series ODI against India at the SCG.

"There's just full confidence that he's going to perform for us and, personally, all I can see is a long-term picture because come the World Cup, we need him firing," Stoinis said today when asked if pressure was building on Finch to hold his place in the starting XI.

"He's arguably the best Twenty20 batter in the world over a long period of time.

"His record's so good and he's our captain, so maybe that's what's going on off-field but in our heads we just trust him.

"The same thing happened when he came back from IPL.

"He didn't have the IPL he wanted but then he came and made hundred after hundred in the one-dayers .

"I think that's just the game of cricket, you've got to ride out these sorts of things and I think it's important that, as a team, he feels backed.

"And I'm pretty sure he does because we've got his back, Finchy."

Finch's output has been the subject of even greater scrutiny due to the nature of the 20-over format, where opening batters play a crucial role as shown by NZ's previously out-of-touch Martin Guptill who top scored in the Black Caps' second win of the five-match series with 97 from 50 balls.

The 35-year-old Australia captain has produced scores of 35, 0, 1 and 12 in his four T20I innings so far this summer in which time his team has lost four matches (and won one) against India and New Zealand.

With only the three remaining games of the NZ tour and the prospect of a bilateral series against Bangladesh prior to the scheduled World Cup (dates of which are yet to be announced), opinions are divided on whether Finch should be replaced at the top of Australia's batting order.

There were similar questions posed prior to the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup in the UK which Finch entered in equally indifferent form before he ended the tournament as Australia's second-highest runs scorer (behind opening partner David Warner) with 507 at 50.70 including a top score of 153.

Stoinis believes that while the constant critiquing of his position must have some impact on Finch, the veteran opener is sufficiently experienced to put it aside and focus on the job of leading Australia to success.

"I think through your career, and he's had a long career, you probably get better at copping it and riding those waves," Stoinis said of the criticism.

"But I think no-one's immune to any of that stuff, no matter who you are.

"So I'm sure it does get to him a little bit, that's why it's important to have good people around and the Aussie cricket team definitely supports him.

"So he's fine. Journos have to write about something and we understand that in a week it might be my name, and another week after that it might be Jhye Richardson or whoever it is.

"So it's just like everyone's got to take their turn, sort of thing."

Qantas T20I tour of New Zealand 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, *Martin Guptill (pending fitness test), Kyle Jamieson, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. *Finn Allen (on stand-by for Guptill)

1st T20: New Zealand won by 53 runs

2nd T20: New Zealand won by four runs

3rd T20: March 3, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5pm AEDT

4th T20: March 5, Eden Park, Auckland, 5pm AEDT

5th T20: March 7, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12noon AEDT

All matches will be shown live in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo