EXCLUSIVE: Aaron Finch decodes Australia’s disappointing campaign at T20 World Cup 2024

Former cricketer Aaron Finch is currently plying his trade in the World Championship of Legends for the Australia Champions in the T20 competition happening in England.

In an exclusive chat with CricTracker, the former national captain expressed his disappointment with Mitchell Marsh-led Australia and their early exit from the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. The Aussies looked in good touch in the Group Stage of the tournament and were one of the favourites to clinch the title, but in the Super Eights, they struggled massively. Subsequent losses to Afghanistan and India in the Super Eights disastrously ended their campaign.

Noting on an early exit from the 20-team tournament, Finch added that not being able to qualify for the semis is a massive disappointment, especially with the quality of talent that they possess. He understood that T20 is a difficult format as an over can change the course of the game, but he was upset with Australia’s efforts. The 37-year-old talked about Australia being uncharacteristically sloppy on the field in multiple matches and believes that may have cost them an opportunity to qualify for the semis.

“I think they'd be disappointed not to make the semi-finals. I think as a passing mark in a T20 competition, making the semis is a tick, regardless of what team you've got. It's an incredibly difficult format. And Australia would be disappointed, no doubt. They had high hopes. They were one of the favourites going into the tournament. And they just fell a little bit short. They were probably uncharacteristically sloppy in the field right throughout the tournament, which cost them at different points,” Finch told CricTracker.

Despite an early elimination, Finch, who led the Aussies to World Cup glory in 2021, stated that there were some positives for the team as well. The biggest out of them all was Marcus Stoinis’ impactful knocks from time to time. ‘The Hulk’, as he is popularly known, smashed 169 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 164.07 and also picked up 10 wickets in the competition. The Victoria-born lauded him for his valuable contributions, but still feels that the team would be disappointed with their poor execution.

“But overall, I think that some players had great tournaments, like Marcus Stoinis. He was outstanding with bat and ball for Australia. They'll be disappointed (to not have utilized Stoinis to the team's benefit),” he added.

Speaking more of the World Championship of Legends, it is a six-team tournament, where India Champions, West Indies Champions, Pakistan Champions, South Africa Champions, and England Champions are also participating. Currently, Finch is topping the charts for Most Runs in WCL 2024, with 173 runs in 3 innings at an average of 57.66. Led by Brett Lee, the Australia Champions are second on the points table with two wins in three matches so far.