Aaron Finch says criticism of Pat Cummins has blown his mind as pressure intensifies on the under-fire skipper to keep his place in the side.
The hosts take on England on Friday night in a virtual elimination final, with the loser needing a miracle to sneak into the final four of the T20 World Cup.
The Aussies should welcome back spinner Adam Zampa after he was ruled out of their recent win over Sri Lanka due to Covid-19, but all the focus is on Finch after his scratchy performance on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old finished unbeaten on 31 as Marcus Stoinis went ballistic to get Australia home, but Finch’s strike rate of 73.80 was the lowest by a batter to have faced 40 or more deliveries in T20 World Cup history.
Former Australian batter Mark Waugh described Finch’s innings against Sri Lanka as “torturous” and called for selectors to bring in Cameron Green in place of Cummins.
The speedster has taken one wicket for 82 runs in the first two games, but Finch scoffed at calls that he should be dropped.
“His numbers over the last 18 months have been outstanding in T20 cricket,” he said.
“It blows my mind sometimes where people go with selection chat. He’s been unbelievable over all three formats for a long time. The calmness he brings to the bowling group and the experience, it’s invaluable.”
– Martin Gabor, NCA NewsWire
