Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has declared he thinks Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch should be given another chance to rediscover his form before the World Cup.
Finch was dismissed for a duck in Australia's 113-run victory over New Zealand on Thursday, adding to a collection of worrying dismissals over his last seven ODI matches.
Finch's last seven scores add up to a combined total of 26, with an average of 3.71 runs a match, some concerning form for a captain about to lead his country into a T20 World Cup.
With calls for Finch to be dropped for this Sunday's final ODI and ahead of the World Cup, Aussie legends Mark Waugh and Michael Clarke have come out to publicly support the opening batsman, with both of the belief he should be given a final chance to prove himself.
“It’s a tough time to change your captain a month out before the World Cup,” Clarke said on Sky's Big Sports Breakfast on Friday
“I think the selectors are hoping he can get a score and then he goes into that World Cup with confidence, we keep our structure and our plan for the World Cup and we dominate that and have success here in Australia.
“He needs runs, there is no doubt about it... you can’t drop Finchy out of the World Cup squad now that it has been selected. I’m assuming they’re looking at the one-day cricket different to the Twenty-20, so even if he makes no runs in this last one-day, that might be the end of his one-day career but I think they’ll certainly still start with him in the Twenty-20 World Cup.
“It’s a massive call to drop your captain a month out from a World Cup. I think that could cause more chaos.”
Australia will take on New Zealand in the final of three ODI's this Sunday at Cazaly's Stadium but it is unclear as to whether Finch will receive the final opportunity to prove himself before the T20 World Cup in October.
