Finch's early return a boost in disjointed Cup lead-in

Australia look set to have their captain back on the park ahead of schedule, with Aaron Finch's expected return for two crucial T20 World Cup warm-up games a boost for the squad's disjointed preparation.

Finch underwent surgery to repair cartilage in his right knee in August and while his fitness for the Aussies' World Cup opener against South Africa on October 23 had not appeared in doubt, missing the pre-tournament lead-in games had been a possibility.

But the new father, whose wife Amy gave birth to daughter Esther last month, is now confident he will be right to play practice matches against New Zealand on October 18 in Abu Dhabi and India on October 20 in Dubai.

Finch has resumed batting in the Junction Oval nets in recent weeks and has been gradually building up the intensity of fielding and running sessions, with medical staff satisfied with his progress.

"When I first had the surgery, it was going to be touch and go for those two (warm-up) games," Finch told reporters a day out from his departure for the United Arab Emirates.

"But over the last couple of weeks, my recovery has progressed really well so it's looking more and more likely I will be fit and ready to go for those.

"In terms of the intensity I've been able to train – the accelerations, decelerations, putting load through my knee – that's all looking really positive. I've got no issues that I'll be good for them."

While nominally unofficial practice hit outs, those two matches shape as vital for the entire Australian squad given most have minimal recent game-time under their belts. 

Pat Cummins, one of seven World Cup tourists who did not feature in Australia's winter limited-overs campaigns in the Caribbean and Bangladesh, has not played any cricket since April.

Australia's vice-captain is not set to fly out for the UAE until next week as he and wife Becky await the birth of their first child.

Four players – Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis – will leave Australia having played a solitary white-ball match, a 50-over Marsh One-Day Cup game two weeks ago.

Others have played no matches at all in recent weeks; Adam Zampa has been training away from NSW's main state squad in Byron Bay, while Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson and Matthew Wade have also been affected by the lack of domestic matches.

Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Josh Hazlewood (Chennai Super Kings) are the only members of the main 15-man squad who have been playing regular cricket over the past month, with both taking on key roles with their Indian Premier League franchises.

David Warner has been on the sidelines at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Marcus Stoinis has been hampered by a minor hamstring strain, while fellow Delhi Capitals import Steve Smith has been in and out of the Ricky Ponting-coached side. 

A further setback will be the six-day quarantine requirement for overseas arrivals, leaving those flying from Australia with a little more than a week to adjust to the UAE's punishing desert heat.

It stands in stark contrast to their extensive lead-in for the most recent World Cup in 2019 in the UK, when the squad trained together for more than a month and played a series of practice games in Brisbane and Southampton.

But Finch is confident Australia's experience will hold them in good stead, even suggesting the long lay-off may be beneficial.

"It's a difficult one – there's quite a few guys who played in Bangladesh and the West Indies," Finch said of Australia's preparation.

"Training indoors is no comparison to game intensity, so the two warm up games and the lead-in to the World Cup is going to be really crucial.

"They're going to be really important to get guys up to speed as quick as possible.

"But I've got a lot of confidence in the experience of the group.

"We've got guys who have come off long layoffs before, we've got guys who have come off long injuries before and it's not that much different when you're trying to get yourself up to speed quickly.

"I think that will play into our hands and might allow us to be a little more fresher, to be honest."

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

Australia's squad

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

Australia's matches

Oct 23v South Africa in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

Oct 28v Qualifier A1 in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 29 AEDT)

Oct 30v England in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 31 AEDT)

Nov 4v Qualifier B2 in Dubai (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

Nov 6v West Indies in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2021 ICC T20 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SQUADS FOR ALL 16 TEAMS

How the teams are grouped

Round 1

Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman

Super 12s

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1, B2

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, B1, A2