Players and peers back Finch to fire
Colac kid who was destined to lead
Not many people outside of Victoria will know of the little country town of Colac.
Situated on the Princes Highway 40km north of the Bass Strait, its Wikipedia page mentions the Brookhouse Mystery of 1854, the surrounding volcanic plains (the third largest in the world, no less) and the birthplace of AFL premiership-winning captain Luke Hodge of Hawthorn.
But nowhere on the page can a robust right-handed opening batsman who has been named George Bailey’s successor as Australia’s T20 captain be found.
That’s about to change.
Aaron Finch, the No.1 ranked T20 batsman in the world, was yesterday handed the reins of arguably the country’s most underachieving national outfit – its Twenty20 cricket team.
Finch inherits a side ranked fifth in the world still reeling from its shock group stage exit from the 2014 ICC World T20 in Bangladesh.
The 27-year-old has dealt with a similar situation before, when handed the leadership of the Melbourne Renegades for season two of the KFC T20 Big Bash League by coach Simon Helmot, who described the opening batsman as having “an excellent cricket brain and is respected by his team-mates and peers”.
The task that faced him then was a challenging one in its own right.
An all-star squad that managed to win just two games in BBL|01 was suddenly devoid of a host of its household names, with Glenn Maxwell and Brad Hodge jumping ship to crosstown rivals the Stars, and Pakistanis Shahid Afridi and Abdur Razzaq, as well as inaugural captain Andrew McDonald, failing to earn another contract.
With his new crop and a clean slate, Finch wasted no time leading by example, scoring an unbeaten 111 in a man-of-the-match performance in his maiden outing as skipper.
It was an innings that has lingered in the mind of Helmot, both for the quality of the innings as well as Finch’s cool handling of a responsibility that others would baulk at.
"I remember his very first match as captain was against the Stars," Helmot told cricket.com.au.
"He was very nervous, by his own admission, but for him to perform like he did and score 111 not out has been one of the most outstanding T20 batting performances of the BBL so far.
"(It) showed that he’s one that can take on pressure when it’s presented and he does his best as captain to try and push on the opposition when he’s out there.
“I think it’s one aspect to be a good captain strategically, but to take on the captaincy and still be able to perform well yourself, he was able to do that.
“(Appointing Finch captain) was a decision we didn’t take lightly back in BBL|02, but one which he’s certainly enjoyed, and he’s shown how good he is both strategically as a captain and in his performances in leading from the front.”
By the end of the regular season Finch led all scorers with the bat, guiding the new-look Renegades to the top of the table with just a single defeat.
An upset semi-final loss to eventual champions Brisbane Heat ended the dream run, but Finch – who was later named Player of the Tournament and subsequently recalled to the national T20 side – had quickly proven his talents as a leader.
Australia Test No.3 batsman Alex Doolan has played under Finch for the past two seasons under the roof at Etihad Stadium, and notes the faith Australia’s newest leader has in his players.
“He keeps it pretty simple, to be perfectly honest,” Doolan said.
“(He’s) very calm, knows his game very well and backs himself wholeheartedly.
“Individually and as a captain he backs his players to do their job.”
In each squad Finch has been involved with since, the right-handed opener has continued to demonstrate a level head and an intelligent way of analysing the game – traits all good skippers possess.
That was again recognised by the right people with his elevation to the captaincy of Australia A against England Lions in 2013, while yesterday National Selector Rod Marsh made it clear that Finch had been pencilled in as Bailey’s natural successor.
“When George indicated that he was stepping down from the position, we thought Aaron was the obvious choice to succeed him,” Marsh told a packed press conference.
“We know he will relish the opportunity to lead his country.”
Former Test paceman Jason Gillespie, who coached Finch this season at Yorkshire in the County Championship, told cricket.com.au last month that he too had earmarked the Victorian as a future leader due to his attitude both on the field and off.
“He brings a lot with his bat and his leadership around the dressing room,” Gillespie said. "He's very vocal in team chats, he's got some very good ideas.
"He was an important member of our side and a valued member for his contributions on the field, in the dressing-room, around the lads at training, and his work ethic was absolutely outstanding.
"He's a leader. Without having the ‘c’ next to his name he is a leader and I think he could make a very good first-class captain."
Ultimately, it will be up to the boy from Colac to draw on lessons learned from his former captains and his own experiences to take Australia to the summit of T20 cricket.
“Everyone’s got a different style and everyone’s got a different way of approaching things,” Finch said yesterday in his first interview in his new role.
“It’s about trying to be yourself, whether it’s off-field (or) on-field – you have to be true to yourself and go with your gut instinct a lot, especially in the short format in the game.
“There is a lot of bash and crash and your plans change so quickly.
“I think you have to be adaptable and that’s one thing I’m going to try my best to do.”