ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2022

October 30, 2022

Aaron Finch

The Gabba

Australia

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. Nice blue skies here in Brisbane. How has the transition been?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, very good. I think it's nice to get some blue skies and warm weather. The boys have been freezing over the last couple days, but it's always great facilities here. I think a little challenge on some wickets that have been up for quite a while is always good fun.

Q. (No microphone.)

AARON FINCH: Yeah, there was just a couple little cracks down the middle that were -- some balls were taking off, but luckily the majority of them kept low rather than went through the top, so it was all good.

Q. Is that good preparation because when you get out there tomorrow night, obviously the Gabba is probably a bit flatter. Is that good preparation?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, makes you watch the ball pretty hard. I think you adapt your training based on the conditions, so then it was just about trying to hit the balls in the middle of the bat and make sure you're getting in good positions and try and take any of the worries about the wicket out of the equation and just really try and focus in 100 per cent and hit the middle of the bat.

Q. What are you finding about where run rate would be important? Do you think from the outset that you just keep things moving along and maximizing it?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, I think you have to earn the right to go after a run rate performance. We've seen how damaging Ireland can be if you give them a sniff in a game, so you never go into a game thinking about things like that.

I think that will naturally unfold if the opportunity presents, but first and foremost you have to do the basics well and make sure you get your team into a position that you can -- if that presents it, you can push forward. I think the last thing you want to do is push too hard, leave yourself a lot to do, then you end up in a bit of a stick or twist.

But all we've got to do is try and focus on winning two games, and hopefully some things fall our way.

Q. When the schedule came out, most people said that Ireland is a walkover, but they've shown up in this World Cup, haven't they.

AARON FINCH: Yeah, they certainly have. They've got some seriously talented players. They've got a lot of experience, especially at the top of the order, as well, so they're never a team that you can take lightly. If the wicket has got anything in it, they've got very good bowlers to maximise that, as well.

I think, like I said, it's just about making sure that you do the basics really well early on, and then if the game opens up, that will present some opportunities. We've seen the Gabba can be a high-scoring game. We obviously haven't been down there today to see the wicket, but we'll probably get a look at it from the game that starts in half an hour or so.

Q. (No microphone.)

AARON FINCH: Yeah, I think the wicket has probably seamed and swung a little bit more than what we would have expected, so that player become a really important one in all sides, I think. Malan does it really well for England. We've had trouble getting him out in the past, in this last series in particular that we played. Yeah, so there is definitely a role.

We see, look, between myself and Davey, our role is once we get through the powerplay that we can go deep into the innings. Yeah, it's a little bit probably different to what some other teams, how they structure it. They probably have one in the middle order, where ours are probably at the top a little bit more.

Q. On that note, you did bat at No. 4 (indiscernible) heading into the World Cup (indiscernible)?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, there's a possibility. There are things we talk about every strategy session as we sit down and go through all possible scenarios and how all 15 players in the squad can fit into the side and different combinations we can go with.

We'll do that this afternoon, as well. We never rule any combination out, regardless of how the team is functioning.

Q. (No microphone.)

AARON FINCH: Absolutely. I think what Stoinis showed in One Day cricket is that he can play long innings. Maxy has done that. Although he bats a little bit lower down the innings, he still has the ability to take games really deep.

Tim David has got a lot more batsmanship and craft than probably what people give him credit for. I think because he's got great power that that can be a little bit confusing that he's just a hitter of the ball rather than a genuine batsman, so he's someone with great skills, as well. He's someone who could potentially go up, as well, and try and see an innings through.

That's one of those situations where guys probably get forgotten about because their power is so great at times, as well.

Q. (No microphone.)

AARON FINCH: Yeah, a little bit. I think the dew factor in the subcontinent played a huge part in that becoming a really chase-biased tournament. There was quite a bit of dew in Perth when we played there, but tends to not be as much. But then you've got the weather factor, as well, in most games that have been played. Like there's been some around a lot of games.

Teams generally prefer to chase, but I'm definitely not against batting first because I think what we've seen is that teams, if you can put enough pressure on, if you can put a decent enough total and force teams to go hard against a quality bowling attack with a little bit of movement, it's really difficult.

Batting second, you tend to back into your innings. Batting first, you can probably be a little bit more free-wheeling.

Q. (No microphone.)

AARON FINCH: I think you have to be open to doing it both ways. That's the confidence I've got with our attack that we've got. We've got guys with really good defensive skills as well as attacking options, as well.

Mitchell Starc has had a really different role to what he's probably had for the last 10 years. He's bowling almost three through the middle phase of the innings, whereas in the past he was generally two up front, two at the death exclusively. He's become a really defensive attacking option, if that makes any sense, because he is a wicket taker by nature. That slows run rate.

So you have to be able to adapt your attack and make sure that you're using your defensive skills as an attacking option, as well.

Q. You said you're open to most combinations. Is there any possibility you may go with two spinners?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, absolutely. We talk about that. I love having spin options in the side. We're lucky that Maxy is such an experienced T20 bowler, as well, so that gives us the option of a second genuine spinner, as well.

It's probably harder to fit Ash and Zamps both in the same team in Australian conditions because Maxy is so effective. That's the only reason, and we view Maxy's bowling as very, very good, although I didn't bowl him against New Zealand, which everyone keeps reminding me of.

Q. Keeping one eye on the forecast, praying for no more interruption?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, I think reality is it'll impact the tournament again at some point. Can't control that, unfortunately, or Facud (phonetic) would be a rich man.

Q. Can we have reserve days or shift days around, or that's just cricket?

AARON FINCH: I think there's reserve days for the finals; is that right? That would make sense. I think with how condensed the schedule is, I think it's really difficult to have reserve days for round games. Saying that, maybe -- yeah, it's kind of interesting when you have back-to-back games in the same city, if one is washed out -- we saw the other night them both get washed out, whereas if they're in different cities, you potentially get one game on. Is that an advantage? I don't know.

All I know is a lot of planning and effort goes in from the ICC to make these tournaments go ahead, and they're extremely difficult to navigate through all the logistics and stuff as one nation, let alone controlling it for -- I think there's 20 teams? 16? Yeah, 16 teams.

That's an incredibly challenging position to be in.

Q. There's been talk about whether we could shift into Marvel Stadium.

AARON FINCH: Is there wicket in there? I'm not sure. It would be tough to play without a wicket.

Q. (On Marvel Stadium as a backup scenario.)

AARON FINCH: I'm not sure what Marvel Stadium, what events and stuff they've got going on. It's not just as easy as seeing the forecast and moving a wicket over there. There's a lot more that goes into it than that.

But that has been an absolute belter of a wicket for the last couple of years of Big Bash, so yeah, I'm sure there's reasons behind it all.