Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has softened his stance on national team players featuring in the second phase of IPL 2021 in September-October after missing limited-overs tours to the West Indies and Bangladesh.
Aaron Finch on Players Participation in IPL 2021
Finch had said in June that the players who snubbed international commitments would “find it hard to justify” if they featured in the IPL.
Australia had travelled to West Indies in July without some of their biggest names, including David Warner, Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams after they made themselves unavailable for selection.
Steve Smith, who was part of IPL 2021 before it was suspended, pulled out of the tour with an elbow injury.
The results did not go Australia’s way in West Indies as they were hammered 4-1 by the defending T20 World Cup champions. It went from bad to worse for Australia as Finch did not travel to Bangladesh in August due to a knee injury.
Bangladesh registered their first-ever bilateral series victory over Australia, hammering a depleted touring side 4-1.
With their proposed tri-series involving Afghanistan and West Indies in doubt, Aaron Finch believes the IPL will help Australia players warm up to the T20 World Cup.
The remainder of IPL 2021 will be held from September 19 to October 15 while the T20 World Cup Super 8 stage begins from October 23 in the UAE.
“(Those comments) were more based around the bubble fatigue and I probably didn’t take into account the toll the full summer took on guys as well,” Finch told cricket.com.au.
“That was a long summer, especially for guys who started on the UK tour. I probably didn’t take that into account when I made those comments before the West Indies tour,” he added.
“If you throw all that together and throw in the IPL straight on the back of it, and a lot uncertainty around that and some really strict bubble protocols – I didn’t take that into account.”
Guys have to be mindful during IPL: Finch
Finch, who doesn’t have an IPL contract after he was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, urged his IPL-bound Australian teammates to be mindful of their workloads in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.
“The fact that guys have had a decent break now, they will be charged up and ready to go for the IPL and then the T20 World Cup, then a huge summer against England,” Finch said.
“Guys have still got to be really mindful of how they manage themselves during that (IPL) period, because there is no escape from the game.
“There’s no going down the road to relax and grab a coffee, or having a beer together outside the cricket environment.”
Australia begin their T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa on October 23 in Abu Dhabi. They have been drawn alongside England and West Indies in Group 1 of Super 12.
