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ODI captaincy not on my mind: Finch
By Sandy - May 12, 2018 3:24 am
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Captaining the Australian team in One-day Internationals is not in Aaron Finch’s mind, the national T20I team skipper said as Australia’s selectors named Tim Paine temporary ODI skipper for the upcoming series against England.

Aaron Finch

“I hadn’t really ever thought about it,” Finch told cricket.com.au when asked if he wanted to be ODI captain.

“Nobody could foresee the position that Australian cricket is in now,” he added.

Regular captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner are suspended for 12 months for their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.

Finch was the hot favourite to take the reins of both teams.

“It’s an interim position and I’m not exactly sure which way they’re going to look or what the long-term plan is going to be leading into the World Cup,” Finch said.

“It’s just being about the senior player, contributing as much as you can on and off the field to help the team grow, help young guys develop their game at international level. All senior plays play that role at some point.”

“There’s not a real lot you can do if you’re not in the side.”

Head coach Justin Langer will head into his first assignment in the ODI series against England after his predecessor Darren Lehmann resigned from his post in the wake of the ball tampering scandal.

Justin Langer

Langer has previously been in charge of Australia in an interim capacity, when the ODI team won a tri-series against West Indies and South Africa in the Caribbean in June 2016 and then at the back end of the 2017 home summer with the T20I side against Sri Lanka that the hosts lost 2-1.

Speaking about the new head coach, Finch said, “He knows the game inside out, he’s had a lot of success as a coach. The times I’ve worked with him we’ve worked well together and really looking forward to it again.

“I don’t see things changing a hell of a lot. I think it will be very well structured. He said he’s pretty comfortable to sit back and observe and take it all in for the first tour and then start to implement some changes he wants to see.”