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Brendon McCullum: Aaron Finch learnt a lot from IPL 2016

Aaron Finch had to find a place in the middle-order halfway through the tournament due to the injury he suffered and according to Brendon McCullum, the change in role helped Finch.

Aaron Finch played alongside Brendon McCullum in IPL 2016 for Gujarat Lions © AFP
Aaron Finch played alongside Brendon McCullum in IPL 2016 for Gujarat Lions © AFP

After Aaron Finch‘s brilliant performance in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016, Brendon McCullum has said that the Indian Twenty20 (T20) tournament has helped the Australian opener learn a lot. McCullum was a part of the Gujarat Lions (GL) in the latest IPL season and hence observed Finch during his stint in the series. Though he started as an opener, Finch had to find a place in the middle-order halfway through the tournament due to the injury he suffered and according to the Kiwi legend, the change in role helped Finch discover new things about his approach towards the game. READ: WI thrash AUS by 4 wickets in Tri-Nations Series 2016

Talking to cricket.com.au, McCullum said, “He was outstanding for us (GL). He played in some different roles for us. He started off at the top of the order and performed brilliantly, (then) got injured, Dwayne Smith came in and he played really well. So Finchy put his hand up for us and said ‘I’ll bat in the middle for us then’. And he did it, and played brilliantly again.”

“He probably learnt a lot from playing a different role. Because he’s still young in the game, he’ll benefit hugely from that. His ability to come in and straight away attack the spinners. Not just being able to being manipulate them in the field but actually being able to clear the ropes against them and create a strike-rate from ball one. I think when he goes back to the top of the order and gets away to a good start, when the spinners come on, he’s going to be able to continue to accelerate throughout the innings. I think there were some really good learnings for him (from the IPL), he performed brilliantly and I really enjoyed spending time with him both on and off the field,” he added.

“I think Finchy’s a magnificent player in T20 cricket,” McCullum said. He’s destructive, he’s got touch, he’s got craft, he can pace an innings or he can win you a game on his own. His record and his consistency in an inconsistent game is something to applaud,” McCullum concluded.

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