Australian captain Aaron Finch expected to recover in 10 weeks
What's the story
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch will take eight to 10 weeks to recover from his knee injury. Finch, who recently underwent a surgery, aims to be fit for the impending T20 World Cup. The 34-year-old pulled out of the Bangladesh tour after sustaining cartilage damage. Prior to that, he managed to play five T20Is against the West Indies. Here is more.
Surgery
Finch underwent a successful operation on his knee
Finch had completed his mandatory two-week quarantine upon returning to Melbourne. He had a successful operation on his knee on Thursday. A recent statement by Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the same. "His recovery is expected to take 8-10 weeks meaning he should be available for the opening games of the World Cup in mid-October," the statement read.
Finch
Matthew Wade led Australia in Finch's absence
Finch was one of the several first-choice Australian players who missed the white-ball leg in Bangladesh. In his absence, wicket-keeper Matthew Wade led the side in Bangladesh. Australia, who were sans key players, lost the T20I series 1-4. This was their first defeat to Bangladesh in an international bilateral series. Prior to that, Australia also lost the T20I series in the Caribbean.
Information
Fifth consecutive series defeat for Australia
Australia have lost as many as five bilateral T20I series played by them over the last 12 months. They lost to England (1-2), India (1-2), New Zealand (2-3), West Indies (1-4), and Bangladesh (1-4) during this period.
WC
Finch likely to open with Warner at T20 WC
Finch would want to regain his fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting October 17. If fit, he will likely open alongside David Warner at the mega ICC tournament. Australia are yet to win their maiden T20 World Cup. Their best performance came in the 2010 edition, where they finished as the runners-up (lost to England in the final).
Career
A look at the T20I career stats of Finch
Finch has been one of the most experienced batters in T20 Internationals. He is presently the fourth-highest run-scorer in the format, having amassed 2,473 runs from 76 matches at a remarkable average of 37.46. Finch is only behind Virat Kohli (3,159), Martin Guptill (2,939), and Rohit Sharma (2,864) in terms of T20I runs. The Australian has the highest individual score (172) in T20Is.