Worth the wait: Finch ton breaks drought

Aaron Finch has waited all summer, and then some, for a century, but a nervy spell in the nineties felt like an eternity.

After an up-and-down summer that's delighted and tested him in equal measure, Finch finally has a hundred to show for his efforts – a match-winning one at that – after going 30 international innings across all formats without one.

His composed 116 off 135 balls on a slow Sharjah surface saw Australia run down Pakistan's 280 with an over to spare in the series-opening one-dayer.

While runs often flowed freely through his and Shaun Marsh's 172-run partnership, Finch was held up right as his milestone was within reach.   

"What was running through my mind was that I'd faced a lot of dot balls in the 90s and it wasn't because I was trying to just get to a 100," Finch said with a smile after Australia's eight-wicket win. "It was purely that they bowled quite well.

"On these kind of wickets, your innings seem to ebb and flow quite a bit. There'll be times when you'll face 10 or 12 balls, hit a few boundaries and get away to a flyer then there might be 30 balls when you make 12 or 15 runs because you're struggling."

A sequence of tight overs from Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir curtailed Finch, the right-hander shanking a few attempts at an elusive boundary.

He finally pounced when Shoaib Malik brought himself on to bowl, spanking his fellow skipper out of the ground to tick over into triple figures. 

It was a special moment for Finch, who embraced Marsh in tight bear hug, though he spent little time dwelling on it with the Aussies still requiring more than a run a ball.

"It was just a bit of relief to get one over the rope and continue on because it went from six (runs per over required) to 6.2, to 6.4 and I was just conscious to not let it get any bigger than that," he explained. 

"Shaun's innings (was) such a crucial one. because if you have a partnership where you both struggle a little bit at the same time, it can really bog down the innings.

"He took the pressure off me when I struggled and vice versa, I managed to get a couple away when he was going through a bit of a flat spot. I think it was a nice partnership."

His 12th ODI ton was his first since his record-breaking one in a T20 against Zimbabwe in July, and first in ODIs since last year's series in the United Kingdom.

Since then, Finch gone up and down the rollercoaster of earning a Baggy Green, being appointed captain of a struggling ODI side with a World Cup on the horizon, losing consecutive ODI series at home, losing his Test spot and winning the Big Bash.

Finch said this week he was prepared to bat down the order when Steve Smith and David Warner make their likely returns for the World Cup, but his knock was a reminder of his world-class ability at the top.

Whatever the perceptions of pressure on his spot have been, the 32-year-old has remained upbeat throughout, while teammates have praised his mental strength to remain level and not let his lack of runs affect his captaincy.

"I thought he was brilliant tonight," Marsh said of Finch. "He led from the front as captain and I was really happy for him.

"It was just nice to be out there with Finchy.

"I know how hard he's been working in the nets and to see him get the rewards was fantastic. I was really happy for him to get that hundred."

Qantas Tour of the UAE

First ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Second ODI: v Pakistan, March 24 in Sharjah

Third ODI: v Pakistan, March 27 in Abu Dhabi

Fourth ODI: v Pakistan, March 29 in Dubai

Fifth ODI: v Pakistan, March 31 in Dubai

(all matches begin at 10pm AEDT)