ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2022

November 3, 2022

Aaron Finch

Adelaide Oval

Australia

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. Will you play tomorrow?

AARON FINCH: Very hopeful to, yeah. I'll have a good hit out this afternoon and give it a solid test out.

Q. If you have to give a percentage at this moment, what would it be that you will play?

AARON FINCH: Good question, maybe 70/30, but I'll test it out probably this afternoon to make sure that I'm not hindering the side at all leading into the game because I think that's the worst possible scenario is that you leave the guys short out there with one player fewer.

Q. Aaron, you guys know that there's an equation. You've got to win tomorrow, and not just get a win but win by a lot to try to get ahead of England. Have you talked through the specifics, the maths of that, like what would need to happen if you were batting first, bowling first, that kind of thing?

AARON FINCH: Not as a team we haven't. I've talked through it a little bit with the coach. We went through it this morning briefly.

Yeah, like I said last game, you still have to earn the right to be able to push for a net run rate because the last thing that you want to happen is you push too hard, you compromise the two points, and then potentially something happened in the Sri Lanka-England game and you leave yourself vulnerable.

But yeah, there's obviously some scenarios there that we need to keep an eye on throughout the game, that if we get in a good position that we can maximise it.

Q. Would you look at things like shifting the batting order around, working out changes to the way you might normally go about things?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, potentially. I think we'll sit down as a strategy group after training today, once we've got a bit more information on obviously myself, Tim David, as well. Once we do that, we'll probably go through a few more -- well, we'll go through all the scenarios actually to make sure that we're crossing our T's and dotting our I's just so that we've got a clear mind on what we need to achieve.

Q. You mentioned Tim David; what's his situation? Is he in a similar position to you at the moment?

AARON FINCH: Very similar. I think the scan results showed a very similar thing. Yeah, he's in exactly the same boat. He'll get worked out today, and we'll know more during training, I guess, the likelihood of both of us playing, one of us, neither of us, whatever it looks like, but exactly the same. You don't want to compromise the team's performance by having a guy go down who comes in with a niggle. That'll just be one of the things we go through, as well, and make sure it's all ticked off this afternoon.

Q. Does the game situation sort of change the thinking there? Normally in a tournament if you were guaranteed at progressing you'd probably rest from a game, but you have to go all or nothing in a situation like this?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, you do. I think the reality is that our first game has put us in this situation, so that's okay. We knew for the rest of the tournament there was going to be -- it was going to come down to run rate should things go well.

But also, there's still two other games in the pool to be played, as well, so first and foremost we've got to try and get the two points.

Q. You mentioned potentially discussing rejigging the batting order, but is there also a case for someone like Mitchell Starc who hasn't really opened the bowling much if the swing one offered to take the first or second overs?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, it would be nice to know going into a game if it was going to swing or not. That would make things a lot easier in selection and things like that.

But like I said earlier, we'll discuss all options leading in. Obviously for us to win, we need to restrict Afghanistan or get off to a really solid start, and the foundation is the most important thing in doing that.

To be able to walk out and start -- if you bat first, if you walk out and think we need to get 250 and you go all guns blazing, you could leave yourself really vulnerable there.

Regardless whether we bat first, bowl first, the foundation, like the first three or four overs is still key to being successful, I think, because that then allows guys on the back of that to play their natural game and maybe be overly aggressive at times with bat and ball searching for wickets or searching for quick runs.

The first couple of overs is always the most important.

Q. Just a slightly more specific question on Starc. There's only one game, I think the game against New Zealand, he opened the bowling, but other than that, a few other sides have found swing, but Australia have used Starc a bit differently. I was curious about the thinking there?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, we feel as though he's got a really important role through the middle part of the innings, and particularly with Adam Zampa who's been really good for a long time now.

In T20 -- well, same as one-day cricket, if you don't get wickets through that middle phase of the game, you are incredibly vulnerable at the back end, regardless of who's bowling. You could have the best two ever, and if you've got two set batters, it's going to be incredibly difficult to contain them.

It's been a little change in Mitch's role to be pushing harder through the middle overs and almost going towards the back end of the powerplay so that we can try and get a wicket there to expose a middle order right on the back of that. That's the only reason for it.

Q. Obviously with all of I suppose the micro stuff around your hamstring and the net run rate equation and all that kind of stuff, is there any room in your head for the bigger picture? I know we talked earlier in the year about wanting to get to the MCG and what a big stage that would be and a great achievement for you in the context of your career. Is there any room in your head for that at the moment, given that the game is tomorrow?

AARON FINCH: Not at all, no. Honestly I haven't thought about anything past tomorrow. Like you said, with so many numbers and scenarios flying around, if you're not paying full attention to that, it's incredibly difficult to focus on your main job.

Q. Just to follow up in terms of what was mentioned before about Mitch Starc, is that a little bit, as well, about getting -- obviously Pat and Josh have taken the new ball; like the challenge that they present to opening batters versus getting Starc bowling to middle-order guys when for a long time he's been bowling at openers? Is that part of it, as well?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, a little bit. We feel as though all three of them have got great capabilities with the new ball, and Mitch has been as good as anyone of all time with the new ball over his career.

The fact that his role has slightly changed isn't a reflection on anything else apart from just restructuring sort of the powerplay and then probably the first 10 overs actually trying to continue to press for wickets.

That just comes down to trying to navigate that 20 overs as best we can with an eye of taking middle-order wickets.

Q. One on Cameron Green: If he were to come in and play tomorrow, would you know exactly what role he'd be playing, or is that one of the other things that's still a variable at the moment?

AARON FINCH: That's purely a discussion for later on when we sit down and go through all the scenarios. I'm sure that there will be 20 different teams talked about, like in combinations with bat and ball, and we'll go with whatever we feel is the best matchup for Afghanistan.

Q. Is it different carrying a hamstring into a T20 game as opposed to one of the longer formats, like the motions and activities you have to do, a bit more explosive?

AARON FINCH: I wouldn't say more explosive. Being captain and fielding, it slipped for a while, then sort of go under cover something like that, but not a huge amount of high-speed efforts. There's obviously acceleration and decels, which can put some pressure on, but aside from that, I don't think it changes a huge amount. I think running between wickets is very similar when you bat with David Warner in One-Day cricket or T20 cricket, so I don't think that changes too much.

Q. How are you with the numbers as a mathematician if you're out there and it's the eighth over and X amount of wickets have fallen? How are you going to go through all that?

AARON FINCH: Not bad when it's in cricket terms. Anything else, maths wasn't my best subject at school. One thing that I love is when they have a runs per over required when you're chasing because sometimes it comes up on the screen and it might say 57 runs off 36 balls. To try and quickly work out what that looks like in runs per over, that's not my strength. But if it says on the board, you need 11 an over or 6 an over, then you can start to develop a game plan around that rather than having to worry about doing the maths, because that's never been my strong point. But in cricket terms, it's not that bad.

Q. It might not say that tomorrow with all the other permutations.

AARON FINCH: It doesn't matter. You can control what you can, and if we get ourselves into a good enough position, we can try and push.

Q. I know you said you're not thinking too much about your long-term future, but if you feel like you're just on the borderline of being able to play, will the permutations of what it could mean for your T20 career, will that make it harder or easier to make a sacrifice?

AARON FINCH: It won't make it harder one bit. If I'm not -- if I feel like it 1 per cent would be compromising the side's performance, I won't play.

Q. What do you need to do this afternoon, and do you need to convince yourself or do you need to convince the medicos?

AARON FINCH: The coach, the medico -- everyone is on the same page, to be fair. We chatted about it earlier, about doing enough to know that in my mind and in their minds that it's not a risk to play. But also at the same time not doing too much that you compromise a long-term injury if we were to get through to a semifinal that would be at stake, risk missing that if that was the case.

It's a fine line. I think all the medicos are sitting down and doing that stuff at the moment, and they're unbelievable at their job. Whatever they decide, whatever they think I need to do, I'll do it to the best, and if I can't, I won't play.

Q. Is there any sort of plan to maybe look at just trying to get fit for a semifinal if you make it?

AARON FINCH: Well, we're not there. If we're in a position that it was already guaranteed, I think that would be a conversation to be had, but the reality is we've put ourselves in this position, so you can't really wait for second chances or rely on other teams. You've got to go out and try and do it yourself.

Like I keep saying, if that means that I don't play then I'm perfectly comfortable with that if I think it's going to compromise the team in any way.

Q. You just said that essentially you would leave it up to the others. Is there any scenario where you would just put your hand up even if they said you're all right to play that you would say, yeah, I don't think I should?

AARON FINCH: Yeah, 100 per cent. If I don't feel confident in my hamstring, then I won't play. That might be in the first effort that I do today, might be in the last one. If I feel any pain or anything like that, I won't play.

Q. On Afghanistan, it looks like Rashid will probably play now. How does that change things?

AARON FINCH: Well, we always prepare for anything that they've got, and Rashid is obviously as good as anyone in the world, so I don't think that that changes how we go about it a huge amount. The guys still do all their planning and preparation, which most guys have played -- well, I reckon everyone would have played him a number of times over the years either in the BBL, IPL, things like that. Each guy will have their own individual plans, but yeah, I certainly wasn't expecting him to miss. I'd be surprised if he did.