Shane Warne has backed Aaron Finch to captain Australia in all three formats, with an eye on the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Finch has been leader of the T20I side since June, but before that led Australia in nine games dating back to 2014. He is tipped to take over the ODI captaincy from Tim Paine for the home series with South Africa next month, having filled in twice in the past. The 31-year-old finally got a Test debut during the recent series with Pakistan in the UAE, having scored 4957 runs for Australia in limited-overs cricket before receiving his first Baggy Green, which stands as the record for most international runs scored without playing Test cricket. Finch acquitted himself well in two Tests, scoring 181 runs at an average of 45.
Warne has been critical of Paine’s captaincy on several occasions this year, and believes that Finch has the skills to lead in Tests too.
“To me, he (Finch) should be captain. I’d like to see him captain all forms for the game,” Warne, who slammed Australia’s batting after the Test defeat to Pakistan last week, told the Herald Sun. “His one-day and T20 cricket is outstanding and if he can seize his opportunity in the Test team, I believe he has a lot to offer in red-ball cricket. He’s a must pick and captaincy is a crucial element of the World Cup. I think he could do a great job and I like his captaincy style.”
The Australian spin legend also called for limited-overs specialist D’Arcy Short to bat as opener with Finch in Tests, and for Paine to bat higher in the order.
“I’d really like to see Paine move himself up and take some responsibility by saying: ‘I’m the captain, I can bat, we’re not doing the job, so I’m batting at six’,” he said. “I think if he wants to be there for a while and captain the side, I’d like to see him put some pressure on the higher spots. You need your best players up the order and he’s one of our best batters.”