Australian opener Aaron Finch has signed up with Surrey for a short stint in the English county circuit. Finch’s move behind opting for the county side could be perceived as a genuine attempt in order to boost his selection in test matches. The right-hander has been Australia’s most consistent batsman in the shorter forms since the last couple of years, but has never been given the opportunity at the highest level.
Veteran Australian batsman Adam Voges and former opener Chris Rogers had their test careers resurrected thanks to their productive outings in the UK while playing county cricket. Finch too seems to have been inspired by the duo in order to commence his test career.
The swashbuckling opener confirmed his stint with Surrey in a recent chat with cricket.com.au. “I love four-day cricket,” Finch said. “I haven’t played for quite a while, since last December, because I’ve had a lot of white ball going on. “It’s a great game to play and a great club.”
“When I signed obviously I wanted the chance to play all formats. It was very important to make sure I could play four-day cricket. “Hopefully, I can push my name up there from a four-day point of view and get a bit of credit for being able to play the longer form, not just the shorter forms,” he further added.
This means that Finch will once again be working closely with former Australian batting coach Michael Di Venuto, who now coaches Surrey. “I worked with Di Venuto for a long time for Australia. “I’ve done some great work with him and by all reports, the Surrey boys are rapt with him so far.”
“They haven’t been able to reward him with many wins so far in the Championship, but that’ll come. “The way he coaches and the style he brings to the team, I think it can only go onwards and upwards. He’s a fantastic guy and a great coach as well,” Finch concluded.