Aaron Finch says Australia have full confidence in Steve Smith batting at No 3 going into T20 World Cup – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Australian captain Aaron Finch has defended the selection of Steve Smith in the playing XI against Sri Lanka, saying that the team has full confidence in his abilities and the role he needs to perform for the team.

File image of Steve Smith. AFP

Australia released their playing XI ahead of the game on Tuesday in Colombo, and included Steve Smith in the batting line-up. The management, however, ignored Josh Inglis who has consistently been performing well for them. The series is part of the build up to Australia’s campaign for the T20 World Cup which will be played at their home later this year (October-November).

All praise for his teammate, Finch said that Smith can be handy in anchoring the game if the team loses couple of quick wickets upfront.

“The ability for Steve is to play that role where if we lose a couple of wickets in the powerplay then he comes in and plays that top-order role,” Finch was quoted as saying by Australian publication WA Today.

In the same vein, he also said, “But if we get outside the powerplay then Maxy will go in at No. 4 and Smithy will slot into that middle order.”

Talking about Smith’s skills and what he brings to the table for the team, Finch said, “He’s someone who can read the game as well as anyone and is as skilled as anyone in the world, so just giving him the freedom to go out there, take the game on and play what’s in front of him is super important. We’ve got all the confidence he can play that role unbelievably well,” the captain argued.

Australia, who are on a seven-week tour to Sri Lanka, will play three Twenty20I, five one-day internationals and two Test matches during the trip, which ends on 12 July.

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