Sydney: Amongst all the absorbing match-ups set to happen during the Australia-New Zealand Super 12 match in the Men’s T20 World Cup at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, the battle between hosts’ skipper Aaron Finch and premier New Zealand left-arm fast bowler has garnered much attention.
In white-ball matches, Boult has got the better of Finch twice in T20Is and five times in ODIs. Moreover, since Australia won the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE, Finch has been out to left-arm pacers 14 times, with his strike-rate against them at 108.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson acknowledged that Finch and Boult will cross paths during the match. But at the same time, Williamson emphasised on the importance of doing their homework well for every player in the Australian side, including Finch.
“He’ll be bowling with the new ball, Trent, and I suppose Finchy will be opening. So I guess there’s a likelihood that they’ll come across each other. But, same thing for us. We’re looking to do our homework as best we can, but ultimately just commit to our plans that we want to do as a team and go out and play with that freedom with which you come to these sorts of events.”
“There are match winners throughout, and Finchy is absolutely one of those, and so is Trent. There will be a number of great contests throughout this tournament. Anybody can beat anybody. It certainly makes way for a pretty exciting event,” said Williamson in the pre-match press conference.
Finch was also quick to admit that it would be a challenge for him to face Boult in the opening stages of the innings and feels that doing technical work in practice of countering left-arm fast bowlers should come in handy.
“One thing you don’t get access to a huge amount — we’ve obviously got the inventory here who can throw and stick left-handed, but it’s just about doing it more and more. Trent is an unbelievable bowler. He has been for 10 or 12 years now.”
“So when you open the batting, you’ve got to get out to someone eventually. He probably has my number, no doubt. I still feel as though I’ve still got a really solid game plan. I think there’s some technical things that I can do to a left-armer that can help that.”
“I think at times I’ve probably been a little bit more negative towards left-armed bowlers. You almost bat trying not to get out as opposed to being really proactive. So there’s all that to consider and take into tomorrow.”
Asked if the technical thoughts will come in his mind once he faces up against Boult in the match, Finch remarked, “Just watch the ball, is all you can control. When you make some small technical changes under pressure, which is generally the first five to ten balls, your technique generally falls back to what you’ve done for, in my case, the best part of 30 years, and your footwork patterns remain pretty similar.”
“As soon as you start thinking about that as the ball is running in, you’re dead. You’ve got no chance because your mind’s clouded. You’re not paying 100 percent attention to the ball. So, I’m confident that, when we walk out tomorrow, I’ll be ready to go.”
(IANS)
