Cricket Australia (CA) chief selector George Bailey has said that limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch is a leader and there were no plans to look for an alternative ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup to be hosted by Australia later this year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Criticism has mounted after Finch's string of poor performances, the latest being a below-par showing in the three-match One-day International series against Pakistan in Lahore, which the tourists lost 1-2. However, Finch finally struck form, scoring a half century in the one-off T20I to end the sub-continent's tour on a positive note.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bailey said that there was plenty of time between now and the T20 World Cup in October-November for Finch to find form.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The leadership he provides, the way that T20 team and the one-day team has been building, we're starting to get some good buy-in to the way we want to play, on the back of the way the squad played in that T20 World Cup," Bailey told cricket.com.au on Friday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Under Finch, Australia won their maiden ICC T20 World Cup trophy in the UAE last year, defeating Trans-Tasmania neighbours New Zealand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bailey added that Finch's return to form in the T20I game against Pakistan hadn't come as a surprise. Finch's 55 in a winning cause in the T20 game -- his first half century in 17 innings for the country -- has eased the pressure on the 35-year-old ahead Australia's T20 World Cup title defence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked whether he was relieved at Finch getting a half century, Bailey said, "Not relieved -- always know it's coming with Finchy. He's said it himself that he'd have liked to have contributed more... he'd like to be scoring more runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We have so much cricket from now until that T20 World Cup and the build-up to the one-day World Cup that he's got a great opportunity, and probably now a little bit of time to focus... on a couple of little technical things that he wants to work on, which is great," said Bailey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Finch went through a similar poor run of form in the lead up to the 2019 and 2021 World Cups but after getting the backing of the selectors, he returned to his best.<\/p>\r\n\r\n