Aaron Finch reveals his desire to lead the Australian national team

The bans on disgraced Australian duo Steven Smith and David Warner have made things difficult for Australian selectors. The duo were indisputable starters for the Australian senior team and their loss will serve as huge void to Australian cricket in general. However, in the absence of the Australian pair, someone will need to step in to steady the ship. KXIP batsman Aaron Finch has lifted his hand for the vacant position in a recent interview to cricket.au.com, where he has stated that he would be more than happy to lead the Aussies.

“I’d definitely put my hand up for it but I haven’t thought about it to be honest. If the opportunity came up I’d love to take it but it’s not something that I’ve thought about,” said Finch.

Finch’s name was a leading contender for the role as he has had prior experience of leading the Australian team in the past. The 31-year-old was the captain of T20I side between 2014 and 2018 and has also filled in as the ODI team skipper on a few occasions as well.

Australia are currently without a leader, and the ICC 2019 ODI World Cup is only a year away. A new captain is expected to be named early next month when the selectors will pick a squad for their limited-overs tour of England.

“It’s obviously a really difficult time and some changes are going to be made in the next couple of months with the England ODIs and the Dubai Tests (against Pakistan later this year),” the big-hitting opener said.

Other contenders include Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Peter Handscomb, who all are captains of their respective state sides. Aussie wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who was appointed 46th Test captain of the national side following a 12-month ban to Smith and Warner for their involvement in the ‘ball-tampering’ incident in South Africa.