"He's Batting Nowhere Near His Best": Shane Watson On Australia Star

Australia white-ball skipper Aaron Finch had an underwhelming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season for Kolkata Knight Riders as he managed just 86 runs in five innings, with his highest score being 58. Over the course of last 12 months, Finch has not been able to score big consistently and this is something Australian fans must be worried about. Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has said that Finch is batting nowhere his best and he cannot be picked if he is not scoring runs in the buildup to the T20 World Cup set to be played in Australia this year.

"Unfortunately, right now, the way he's batting and what I've seen during this IPL, he's batting nowhere near his best. Whatever is going on, the things he's working on with his technique and mindset, it's changed a lot from when he's been at his best. I believe that if he's not scoring runs in the lead up to the T20 World Cup, and its along similar lines to what we saw here in the IPL for KKR, you can't pick him. At the moment he's so far out of touch, no matter how good your captaincy skills are, if he continues to bat the way he is, it would be a big liability, especially as an opener," Watson told The Grade Cricketer Podcast.

"It's such an important role to get the team off to a flying start. He's been so incredibly good - I've batted with him when he got 150 against England at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, he is a world-class batsman, an incredible short-form batsman - but just to see where his game is now it's a fair way away from that. I believe it should be the team's picked and then the captain gets picked from there, especially if you are a long way out of touch," he added.

Watson also said that it is absurd that David Warner has not been given the opportunity to lead Australia as he has done his time for the involvement in the ball tampering controversy. During the 2018 Cape Town Test against South Africa, Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were handed bans for their involvement and it was said that Warner would not be given an opportunity to lead Australia.

"David Warner is a leader, he has led the SunRisers Hyderabad to a lot of success. He has had a great understanding of the game. This is my opinion, and I know it's a big opinion within Australian cricket in certain parts, he's served his time. Yes, he made a big mistake and he was involved in a big mistake but he's been severely punished in so many ways. The way they hung him out to dry and everything really came back on him, the financial impact that it had on him as well, and publicly, he's been absolutely smashed across the board," said Watson.

"He's done his time. Everyone makes mistakes. Some are more public than others, some are little bit worse than others, but you are allowed to forgive. I think it's absurd that he's not allowed to captain a team, whether it's a Big Bash team or whether it is an Australian team, if he's the right person at the right time. Think it's absolutely ridiculous. He has served his time, everyone makes mistakes," he further added.

Australia are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup as they had won the title last year after defeating New Zealand in the summit clash.

Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders Australia Cricket Team Shane Watson Aaron Finch IPL 2022 Cricket