Lions' key to success: Finch hitter
Wed, 20 Apr 2016-08:20pm , Mumbai , dna
Cricket buff Karthik Gurumurthy from distant Irvine, California, posted this on Facebook after Gujarat Lions and Australian opener Aaron Finch scored his third straight half-century in this IPL last Saturday: “With Finch in the side, Life is a cinch for Gujarat Lions:)”
Finch has certainly made Lions’ life easy at the top of the order. The Lions, perhaps, have the most destructive openers in this IPL in Finch and Brendon McCullum, the New Zealander who redefined the way Test cricket is played with his positive approach.
Finch, the 29-year-old Victorian, has been key to IPL debutant Lions’ successful start this season with three back-to-back half-centuries, with scores of 74, 50 and 67* fetching him the man-of-the-match awards in every game.
Finch has the highest individual score in T20Is: 156 in just 63 balls with 11 fours and – hold-your-breath – 14 sixes against England in Southampton in August 2013. He has a strike rate of 133.77 in all T20 cricket and an even better 150.07 in T20Is. It was in the course of his only T20I century that he scored what is now the joint third-fastest century, off 47 balls.
Finch has been an IPL veteran who has not stayed with one franchise since his debut in 2010. Making his first appearance for Rajasthan Royals in 2010, he has represented Delhi Daredevils in 2011 and 2012, captained Pune Warriors in 2013, played under Shikhar Dhawan for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and played three matches for Mumbai Indians in 2015.
Finch, the only batsman to have a score in excess of 125 in T20I, has proved that he can win matches single-handedly and that it is important for Lions that he stays right till the end, a responsibility Finch is aware of. There was a sense of satisfaction when he ensured that he stayed till the end to see his team cross the line against Mumbai Indians last weekend, despite battling cramps in the latter part of the innings.
Finch is not necessarily a batsman who will attack ball after ball. Finch and McCullum complement each other very well. Finch could take the back seat when you have McCullum going after the leather in a manner that only the New Zealander is known to. Like the way he did against Rising Pune Supergiants, when McCullum’s contribution in the 85-run opening stand was 49.
Finch’s Lions’ team-mate and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said the flying start that the Aussie-Kiwi duo gives the team eases pressure on the batsmen to follow.
“Finch and McCullum are power-hitters and they give us a flying start, easing the pressure on the middle-order batsmen. There was no need (for others) to go for a big shots,” Jadeja had said after the second game.
Mumbai Indians’ Mitchell McClenaghan too acknowledged the same when he and his bowlers faced the wrath of Finch’s “mature knock”.
“We did some scanning work with (bowling coach) Shane Bond, Ricky Ponting (head coach) and (captain) Rohit Sharma. We shut down the scoring zones predominantly, just a shame that we couldn't get him (Finch) out. He (Finch) played a very mature knock and showed the class of the player that he is, exceptionally good,” McClenaghan said.
There are bound to be games when Finch will fail. But Lions needn’t worry as they have McCullum at the other end. And, when Finch and McCullum fire in tandem, the opposition bowlers will only feel sorry.
