Last six months the most difficult of my career: Finch

MELBOURNE: Aaron Finch has opened up about the challenges of playing top-flight cricket, describing the last six months of his career as the most difficult he’s ever faced.

Finch, a white-ball regular for Australia, earned his maiden baggy green last year against Pakistan on the tour of UAE. He made an impressive start, but was exposed in the home Tests against India. Struggling against the new ball, the opener made just 97 runs in six innings before being dropped, as the visitors took a historic 2-1 series win.

Finch’s poor form continued in the One-day Internationals against India, which Australia again lost, under his captaincy, as he totalled 26 runs in three games.Battling this poor form for his place in the Test side while also juggling captaincy duties in limited overs was a new challenge, and Finch admitted it took its toll.

“Probably the last six months have been the most difficult of my career in terms of chopping and changing formats,” he told SEN Breakfast.“Making my Test debut and playing a bit more Test cricket was probably a mental challenge more than anything. To play in Dubai and then come straight back into an ODI and T20 series and Test matches - it’s probably been the longest sustained period that I’ve played cricket for Australia.

“It was quite mentally challenging and something that I probably didn’t give the guys who played all three formats of the game enough credit (for) in the past.”Despite everything, Finch isn’t giving up on the Test dream. The experience, including the negative scrutiny of him, was a learning experience, he said.

“It does wear you down a little bit, but at the same time, it’s been amazing. I wouldn’t change it for anything. It was a great learning experience for me about my game and myself, but also management of my own time and my own emotions.”