Pakistan and Australia: Aaron Finch compares his team's collapse with a car crash

Australia’s stunning batting collapse at Abu Dhabi in the first T20 international against Pakistan was very similar to that of a “vehicle crashing in a slow motion” according to their skipper Aaron Finch. They were folded for 89 in reply to Pakistan’s total of 155 losing an unbelievable six wickets in the power play with just 22 runs on the board. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the visitors were bowled out for their third lowest score in T20 Internationals.

For the tourists, Ashton Agar and Nathan-Coulter Nile were the ones to resuscitate the innings with a partnership of 34 of them. It didn’t help their cause in any positive way, except that Australia only escaped being bowled for their lowest score in the T20Is.

Nathan Coulter-Nile top-scored for Australia with 34 and was one of the only three batsmen to get to double figures along with Chris Lynn (14) and Ashton Agar (19). Finch stated that the team would need to make serious amendments to their batting technique before the second T20 international at Dubai on Friday.

“The power play was horrific. It was carnage. It was like a car crashing in a slow motion”, Finch told the reporters after his side disintegrated at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. “Any time you lose five or six wickets in the powerplay it’s not ideal”.

Finch takes responsibility

Aaron Finch took a lot of responsibility on himself as he was the one to start the collapse by getting out in the very first over off Imad Wasim. “I had the responsibility to get us off to a good start and set-up the chase”. When you get out in the first over and don’t get the start you need, that’s not good enough”. Finch said

With Steve Smith and David Warner suspended, Australia undoubtedly had brought together the best batting line-up they had in D’Arcy Short, Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell. All four are brutal power-hitters. However, all four had been bowled on a reasonably friendly batting paradise.

“I think when that many guys get bowled it’s obviously alarming, particularly on a surface that didn’t swing a hell of a lot. The batting was awful. But we can bounce back. We do have a lot of experience in them and some good players. One bad day with the bat doesn’t throw everything out of the window,” Aaron Finch concluded with a hope of bouncing back.

~Written by Aayushmaan Vishwanathan