Matthew Wade has defended under-fire T20 captain Aaron Finch following a disappointing series against Sri Lanka in which he failed to shine with the bat.
Australia are priced at 10/3 defend their T20 World Cup title at the end of the year but there have been suggestions that Finch should not keep his place in the side.
Poor performances
The opening batsman managed just 78 runs through the five-match series which concluded with him being dismissed for just eight in the fifth and final game.
Finch's form has not been great for the last 12 months as he has scored 376 run from 18 innings at an average of 20.89 so it is no surprise to see some question the 35-year-old's future in the team.
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However Wade is in no doubt that Finch deserves his place in the side and should again open the batting with David Warner when the World Cup gets underway.
"Finchy is a class player and I’ve heard people questioning where he’s at. He averages 40 and strikes at 140 for a reason because he’s a class player, he’s the captain of our team," Wade said.
"The questions are always going to come when you get a little bit older and you don’t do well in one series or not the next.
"But they’re class players for a reason and the best that we’ve had in T20 cricket ever and I don’t expect any change at the top of the order to be honest. Those two will be there in the World Cup, I’m confident in that and when the big game comes they’ll nail it."
Wade shines
There were no such problems for Wade who top-scored with 43 not out off 27 balls and he is loving his time in the Aussie middle order.
"I feel really confident in what we’re doing down there, I feel really backed by the coaching staff and the selectors that there’s going to be a real opportunity down there for myself and Marcus (Stoinis) to put on that partnership that we’re looking for when the big games come around," he added.
