'Building around him': Finch backed to lead at T20 WC

Coach Andrew McDonald has reaffirmed Australia's faith in limited-overs captain Aaron Finch to lead the defending world champions at the T20 World Cup later this year, despite his poor form and technical troubles with the bat.

Finch spoke candidly about his struggles at transferring training adjustments into matches after being dismissed lbw for a second consecutive duck in Pakistan's nine-wicket win in the final ODI in Lahore on Saturday that sealed a 2-1 series victory for the hosts.

The 35-year-old will have another chance to overcome those issues when he leads the visitors in the final match of their month-long tour; a one-off T20 which will feature just three of the players who won the men's side's maiden T20 World Cup title in November.

McDonald, a long-time confidante of Finch who played alongside him at Victoria as well as his club team Geelong, insisted Australia are building their side around the right-hander for the showpiece T20 event they are set to host in October-November.

"From my end, there's no conversation around the (possibility) that he won't be there," said McDonald, the interim coach and frontrunner to succeed Justin Langer as the full-time appointee.

"His form can ebb and flow – like most players' can – and his ability to work through these patches has been significant in his career.

"We had the same conversation about David Warner leading into the T20 World Cup last (year), so all these conversations are going to happen.

"Do we think he's still good enough to play this level? One hundred per cent yes. That's as simple as it gets for us and we're building a team around him as captain.

"It's a pretty significant pillar to be discussing about not being at the T20 World Cup. From our end, we think he can still play at this level, 100 per cent."

Finch could open the batting with either Ben McDermott or Travis Head in Tuesday's (Wednesday 1:30am AEST) sole T20, with McDonald suggesting the latter would play his first T20I in nearly four years after an impressive run in the one-dayers against Pakistan.

Ashton Agar and Josh Inglis have both returned negative COVID-19 tests after contracting the virus during the ODIs and could play if deemed fit, while Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are in line to make their T20I debuts if selected.

Finch, who has expressed a desire to lead Australia to both at the T20 World Cup later this year as well as the corresponding 50-over tournament in India next year, will have ample time and opportunity after the Pakistan series to work on the balance and footwork issues that have plagued him in recent visits to the crease.

He will rub shoulders with the game's best T20 players and coaches over the coming months when he joins Indian Premier League club Kolkata Knight Riders, who are coached by Brendon McCullum, one of the game's most destructive batters back in his playing days.

Australia then have eight white ball games in Sri Lanka in June before a series of matches are expected to be played in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland later this year.

Finch has also nominated for the Hundred draft, joining opening partner David Warner and a host of other key Aussie players like Mitch Marsh, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa in the mix for the competition getting underway in August.

McDonald said Finch has been working on his footwork but suggested training opportunities have been limited during the white ball component of the Pakistan tour that will see four games played in a week.

"He's disappointed with his current form, no doubt about that," McDonald told reporters via teleconference.

"Currently, he's probably not moving the way that he wants to in terms of his mechanics. I'm sure the commentators and those who have been watching have critiqued that – he's not moving as we would like him (to be) and as he would like to be.

"That's something that we need to rectify.

"He's working on it at training. We've been down this path before – sometimes he can get his legs crossed over a little bit and get a little bit too much weight on that left leg.

"It's not an uncommon thing so hopefully we can work through it.

"The timeframes in between these games over here haven't created the time that you would like to work on that.

"It's a common thing creeping in, but something that he's been able to work through before and we're really, really confident that he'll be able to work through that as his career continues."

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

First Test: Match drawn

March 12-16: Match drawn

March 21-25: Australia win by 115 runs

Pakistan ODI and T20 squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique*, Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq*, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Saud Shakeel*, Shaheen Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir (*ODIs only)

Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa

March 29: Australia win by 88 runs

March 31: Pakistan win by six wickets

April 2: Pakistan win by nine wickets

April 5: Only T20I, Lahore

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports