Finch all praise for Travis Head after warm-up win

Australia kicked off its ICC Champions Trophy 2017 preparation with a well-fought win over the Sri Lankans in a practice match at The Oval on Friday. Aaron Finch starred with a 109-ball 137, getting help from Travis Head (85 not out off 73 balls), to chase down Sri Lanka’s 318 for 7 with two wickets and two balls remaining.

While the win was a good confidence boost, neither the team nor player is getting carried away.

“You can’t win a tournament in a practice game,” said Finch after the match. “It’s just about trying to make sure the preparation is as consistent as it can be.”

The big-hitting opener had 11 fours and six sixes in his knock and given the competition for places at the top of the order, Finch was happy to be among the runs.

“I’ve tinkered with a few things in my technique over the last couple of weeks and it seemed good today,” he said. “The outfield here (at The Oval) is lightning and the wicket was beautiful, so any time you beat the fielder it was four, which gives you great confidence as a batter. You hit a couple of balls in the gap early on and you look up and you’re on 15 or 20 pretty quick. It’s just a great place to play.”

Finch was also all praise for Head, with whom he added a quick 75 for the fourth wicket.

“Travis Head played fantastic today. The amount of one-day cricket he’s played now is the right mix of a little bit of naivety and quite a bit of experience as well. It’s a great balance. He’s a hugely talented player. He can hit the ball to all parts, he bowls good off-spin, he’s very good in the field. He’s becoming a complete package.”

Finch, for his part, acknowledged that England was the favourite to win the Champions Trophy.

“England has played some great one-day cricket over the last 18 months, two years. They probably deserve it (tag of favourite). When you look around at other countries, the form’s been a little bit patchy. Lots of teams winning at home and losing away, but we’re world champions. We’ve played some great cricket in World Cup tournaments, so it’s just a case of trying to get the job done on the day.”

Australia takes on New Zealand in its opening game on June 2 in Birmingham while Sri Lanka faces South Africa at The Oval a day later.