'Refreshed' Finch back to boost Renegades

Australia's T20 World Cup winning captain Aaron Finch is set to return to BBL action on Wednesday night when his Melbourne Renegades take on the undefeated Perth Scorchers at Marvel Stadium.

Finch, who hasn't played since leading Australia to victory over New Zealand in the World Cup final last month, declared "I'll play" when asked today if he'd be back for the Renegades next game.

"It's been a little while but I'm excited to get back out there," Finch said while commentating on last night's KFC BBL|11 match between the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder.

"I've had one hit and it didn't go to plan but … it takes a bit of time to get back into it after about eight weeks of not batting.

"It's been a real down period which has been nice actually to mentally and physically refresh.

"I literally didn't pick up a bat since the World Cup final until a couple of days ago."

The 35-year-old said today he hadn't done a huge amount of running over the past eight weeks but his knee felt "pretty good" while batting last Friday.

"I've had one hit, which was on Friday, so I'll hit a lot of balls in the next couple of days but all feeling good at the moment," he said.

"I think the skill acquisition part of it isn't something that needs a huge amount at 35 years old, I think there's a decent base to fall back on."

His return will be a welcome boost for the Renegades who currently occupy the bottom off the BBL|11 table with only one win from their three games.

The club had high hopes for this season after taking out the previous two wooden spoons but injuries to several senior players has crippled the start to their tournament.

The right-hander will take on a fresh role at the Renegades as they look to rebound during the second half of the campaign after stepping down from the captaincy in the pre-season.

New skipper Nic Maddinson, who also missed the first two games due to Australia A duties, will no doubt be buoyed by Finch's return to the side to add some experience at the top of the order and in the field.

"I don't think it will be weird, I think it will be quite refreshing," Finch said when asked about playing but not captaining.

"It will be a chance for Maddo to take of over the role and get a really extended run at it.

"I've still had a lot of conversations with (coach David Saker) around some things and I'm more than happy to help out where I can."

Finch missed the first three games of the tournament for the Renegades as he was still feeling the effects of his knee surgery prior to the T20 World Cup.

Finch didn't miss a game during Australia's T20 World Cup triumph but has said his knee was so sore during the tournament that he placed himself at first slip for extended periods to limit his movement.

"It was just hampered by the World Cup, actually, which we pushed really hard to get back for that and that was a risk well worth taking," he said.

"But it just probably needed a little bit more time and it was a chance from the end of the World Cup to now it's been a good solid month of rehab, which has helped."

The Renegades will still be without veteran opener Shaun Marsh for Wednesday's clash as he recovers from a calf injury he sustained while batting in the Marsh Sheffield Shield for Western Australia last month.

Finch said Marsh would link up with the squad after Christmas, while James Pattinson, who missed the Renegades last game due to general soreness, still needed to prove his fitness ahead of the game against the Scorchers.

"It's just going to be touch and go with this game but it depends how it pulls up over the next couple of days after a couple of solid hit outs," he said.

Finch said there were positive signs in the Renegades start to the season despite the disappointing results.

"(You) couldn't ask for a huge amount more from a really young group, a group of guys who haven't played much T20 cricket," he said.

"(Mackenzie) Harvey, (Jake) Fraser-McGurk, (James) Seymour, (Jono) Merlo – when that's the make-up of four of your top six, it's always going to be backs against the wall.

"The way the boys have embraced it and taken on the challenge has been really impressive."