Australian chair of selectors George Bailey has backed white-ball skipper Aaron Finch to return to good form ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Finch will captain Australia's home T20 World Cup defence - due to begin next month - amidst an ongoing lean run of form with the bat, which he has attributed to poor footwork at the crease.
In 10 ODIs so far this year, Finch has scored 159 runs at an average of 15.9, accompanied by a strike rate of just 73.95.
"Finchy's record over his entire career is a pretty incredible one," Bailey told reporters.
"He's the leader of the team and I think you'd be a very brave person to write him off.
"Very excited for him to lead his team in a home World Cup which is pretty special."
Finch's leadership assets have been heavily lauded as a critical factor in the recent successes of Australian white-ball teams, having captained last year's T20 World Cup triumph.
But meaningful contributions with the bat have come few and far between, and Finch has not scored an international century since 2020.
The 35-year-old acknowledged his footwork has hindered his output at the top of the order.
"When I get a bit heavy there it starts to affect the rest of my game," Finch noted.
"I feel as though that's coming along really well. The rewards will be there very soon, just hasn't happened just yet.
Should Aaron Finch captain Australia to the World Cup in October?
Kim Hughes: “No. Not with the foot work he’s displaying at the moment.”
— Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) August 31, 2022
In the ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe, Finch has returned scores of 1 and 15 (game three on Saturday), but is confident form will come with time.
"I know that I've got the full support of the players and the coaching and selection staff so I'm working hard on my game. It just hasn't quite flowed yet," he continued.
"It just comes down to giving yourself a bit of time and hopefully getting a big one shortly."
Finch, Australia’s 12th-highest run-scorer in ODI history (5391 runs), was also backed by Bailey earlier in the year to remain as skipper until the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
