Sydney: In the likelihood of regular Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade getting injured during the course of the ICC T20 World Cup, opener David Warner will take over from him, said skipper Aaron Finch ahead of the opening Super-12 match against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
With reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglis ruled out of the tournament due to a freak hand injury suffered on the golf course, Wade is the only specialist glovesman in the side and Finch said in the event of the 34-year-old too getting injured, Warner would be the next in line for the role.
Finch ruled himself out for the role because of knee issues, adding that Warner had begun ‘keeping during training.
“Probably Davey Warner, I would think. He did a little bit of practice yesterday (Thursday). Myself, maybe I could do it. Maybe captaining and keeping when you haven’t done it before is a little bit tougher. Maybe Mitchell Starc can bowl a few upfront, take the gloves through the middle, and then bowl again at the end. It’s a good question. Probably Davey, to be honest. And like I said, that’s a risk that we’re prepared to take at the moment,” said Finch on the options before him.
Finch added he was getting a “little bit old” for keeping duties.
“I certainly didn’t (keep during the practice session). No, I didn’t. My knees and everything are getting a little bit old for keeping, I reckon,” added the 35-year-old Finch.
Finch added that pressure of playing at home was something his team members were not pre-occupying themselves with, as it could have a deleterious effect on the team’s campaign to retain the title.
“No, we don’t — well, I certainly haven’t read anything or listened to anything about anything external because you can’t control that. If you allow yourself to be wrapped up in it (external pressure), then you’re not focusing 100 per cent on what’s right in front of you, and that’s really important for our team.
“If you look back, if you look down at our list, we’ve got guys who are really instinctive and proactive in T20 cricket. So you never want to take that away by putting one per cent of doubt in anybody’s mind or taking the focus off anything.
“We actually spoke the other day about what we wanted the environment to be if you take winning out of the equation because every team wants to win. That’s a given. In professional sport, every team wants to win. So what does our environment look like if you take that off the table? That’s really important that we just play in the moment, enjoy the ride because it’s a really tough competition and you’re going to have to be at your best. Don’t allow yourself to be dragged down or your focus to be shifted from what’s right in front of you,” added Finch.
–IANS