Misfiring Renegades to be boosted by Finch

Melbourne Renegades will look to Aaron Finch to reinvigorate their misfiring batting line-up as the skipper prepares to make his return to KFC BBL action on Monday.

Finch is yet to make an appearance in BBL|08 because of Test duties, but his omission from the side for the fourth Domain Test in Sydney has paved the way for him to play against Hobart Hurricanes at Marvel Stadium.

The 32-year-old’s return to the Renegades will be limited to one game however, as he takes the captaincy reins for Australia’s ODI side in the coming three-match series against India.

Finch, the third highest run-scorer in Big Bash history, will open the batting against the Hurricanes as the Renegades look to snap a three-match losing run after winning their opening two games of the tournament.

The Renegades have posted scores of 9-99, 9-148 and 9-126 in their past three matches and a batsman is set to be dropped to accommodate Finch.

“We’re looking forward to him contributing as we know he can,” Renegades coach Andrew McDonald said on Sunday.

“It’s not to say he’s going to make the difference to us winning or losing, but if he can contribute and others get off the back of that, that would be fantastic.”

Experienced pair Cameron White and Tom Cooper could come under scrutiny after lean runs of form.

White has a top score of 32 for the tournament, while Cooper has a best of 16 from five innings.

Test opener Marcus Harris will also return to the Renegades after Australia’s Test campaign against India is over.

No Renegades batsman has managed a half-century in BBL|08, with Dan Christian the team’s leading run-scorer with 100 runs from five hits at 33.33.

Finch had a tough time against the red ball after a solid start to his Test career against Pakistan in the UAE, returning scores of 0,11, 50, 25, 8 and 3 against India.

“He’s going well, he seems refreshed,” McDonald said of Finch.

“It’s obviously disappointing to see him miss out on that final Test match, but he’s had a few days away from the game.

“He’s ready to go, ready to lead the side and he’s in a good space, which is great.”

The Hurricanes boast an undefeated record and are sitting pretty in first position on the ladder, with D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade in superb touch at the top of the order.

"What we’ve dished up so far, in particular the last three games, as a batting unit has been well below par,” McDonald continued.

“What’s exciting for me is there’s an opportunity there to improve, and if we do get improvement, who knows how good we can be.

“So I’m pretty excited about the challenge of getting things right for this fixture.”

Renegades squad: Aaron Finch (C), Cameron Boyce, Tom Cooper, Dan Christian, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Cameron White, Beau Webster, Mohammad Nabi, Jack Wildermuth, Kane Richardson, Usman Khan Shinwari, Jon Holland