Australia’s Finch says test career probably finished

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Aaron Finch says he has little chance of returning to the test arena due to the emergence of a crop of talented youngsters and with three limited-overs World Cups over the next three years leaving him little time to stake a claim.

Finch, Australia’s limited-overs skipper, made his test debut in 2018 against Pakistan in Dubai as fellow opener David Warner served a one-year suspension for his role in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

The hard-hitting batsman played the last of his five tests in the Boxing Day contest against India that year before being dropped and has since played only five first-class matches.

“In terms of red-ball cricket, I don’t think it’s realistic to play test cricket again,” Finch was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia’s website.

“Just based on two things: the amount of opportunity to play four-day cricket and force a claim, I think, is going to be really limited; and also the young batters coming through, there are some seriously good players in Australia, especially top-order batters.

“The talent depth is really, really strong at the moment so I don’t think that’s an opportunity to be honest,” said the 33-year-old.

Finch has already flagged the 2023 ODI World Cup in India as his career swan song but will need to focus on back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups in the next two years before that.

Finch is in England leading a 21-man touring party for next month’s limited overs series which includes three Twenty20 Internationals and three one-dayers.

“It’s always a place I’ve loved batting, right from when I first came over as a club player up in York,” said the former Surrey and Yorkshire player.

“I think having played over here for six county seasons in T20 and a bit of four-day cricket helps.”

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