Skipper says Australia can improve on start to T20 tri-series, insists camp remained positive throughout UK tour
Finch asks for more despite Harare blitz
Australia have snapped a lengthy losing streak and recorded two record-breaking victories in as many days, but captain Aaron Finch insists they still have plenty of scope to improve as they chase their first series win under new coach Justin Langer.
Following their nine-wicket thrashing of world No.1 Pakistan on Monday, Australia followed up by dismantling hosts Zimbabwe on Tuesday, cruising to a 100-run win on the back of Finch's T20 international record score of 172.
The two wins in Harare broke a streak of nine consecutive defeats in all forms of the game and comes fresh off a "horrendous" 0-6 hammering on their recent tour of the UK.
But Finch says simply enjoying some victories again is not enough and urged his players to continue to do "the basics well enough for long enough".
"There (is) improvement to be had," Finch said in Harare.
"I thought we were sloppy in the field at times (against Zimbabwe), I thought there was an opportunity to bowl a little bit tighter at times.
"I know they came hard, but I thought we could have bowled a few more good balls and made (them) hit us off a length.
"So there's still room for improvement (and) in terms of complacency, I don't think so at all."
So dominant have Australia been in their two resounding victories that only three of their batsmen - Finch, D'Arcy Short and Travis Head - have faced more than one delivery out in the middle.
It means the likes of Nic Maddinson - who has been recalled to the side for the first time in almost four years but is yet to face a ball – as well as Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey and will head into Thursday's re-match with Pakistan well short of time in the middle.
But Finch is confident his powerful middle order will be ready to fire - if given the chance.
"The guys have been training very hard," Finch said. "They're out there (training) now, the guys who haven't had much of a hit.
"Obviously you can't replicate match conditions but they're still getting as much work in as possible so I'm not concerned about that."
Australia’s return to form this week has been a welcome change following the tour of England, where a undermanned side suffered just their second-ever 0-5 ODI whitewash and were then beaten soundly in a one-off T20I at Edgbaston.
It represented the worst possible start for the new Langer era, which came after the tumultuous fallout from the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal that left the side needing a new captain, vice-captain and coach.
But throughout the UK tour, players insisted the mood in the camp remained positive, and Finch re-iterated that the results in England were due largely to the form of the rampant home side and the inexperience of the tourists rather than any deeper issues in the squad.
"Obviously the results were horrendous for us, we lost all six games," he said. "But we couldn't question how we trained or the intensity that we trained at.
"I think when you get a bit of an inexperienced group together and you get on the back foot early, you're chasing your tail a lot and England just did not let up. They didn't give us a sniff to get back into the series at all. That's the quality side that they are at the moment.
"I think the mood in the camp was always positive. And I think coming here, we've brought that confidence that we had and probably a bit more self-belief coming to a new tournament against two sides that we haven't played in a while, compared to a (England) team that dominated us last summer and did so again.
"New opposition and a new environment has made a world of difference so far."
Qantas Tour of Zimbabwe
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth
Pakistan squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sahibzada Farhan.
Zimbabwe squad: Hamilton Masakadza (c), Cephas Zhuwao, Chamu Chibhabha, Brian Chari, Tarisai Musakanda, Malcolm Waller, PJ Moor, Tendai Chisoro, Kyle Jarvis, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Chris Mpofu, Ryan Burl, Solomon Mire, Wellington Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, Ryan Murray
July 1: Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 74 runs
July 2: Australia beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
July 3: Australia beat Zimbabwe by 100 runs
July 4: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan
July 5: Pakistan vs Australia
July 6: Australia vs Zimbabwe
July 8: Final