Australia needs to look ahead, not backwards, when it comes to choosing Aaron Finch’s replacement as T20 captain, according to former skippers Mark Taylor and Ian Chappell.
Finch remains in doubt for the must-win World Cup match against Afghanistan in Adelaide, and the possibility exists that he’s played his final match for Australia.
Matthew Wade will captain if Finch is absent.
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The 35-year-old Finch is widely expected to retire from international cricket after this World Cup, having quit the 50-over format of the game in September.
At this stage, the Australian T20 side won’t play again until August 2023, while the next World Cup will be held in the West Indies and United States in June 2024.
Australia’s T20 squad has been quite stable over the last 12 months, with the only change to the side that won last year’s World Cup being the inclusion of Tim David in the middle order for Steve Smith.
Cameron Green is the only member of the 15-man squad for this year’s tournament under the age of 29.
The age of Finch’s potential replacements is what worries Taylor.
“Australia’s next major assignment in T20 cricket is the World Cup in two years time,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope.
“Bear in mind that David Warner will be almost 38, Steve Smith will be 35, Matthew Wade’s probably out of contention because he’ll be 36.
“Looking at replacing Aaron Finch, I think Australia should be looking at the next generation to start rebuilding this side altogether.”
With the obvious replacements ruled out, Taylor is looking elsewhere for Australia’s next leader, including 23-year-old Green.
“We’ve got quite an oldish T20 side that won last year, I think they’ve got to be looking at someone like Mitch Marsh, Travis Head if he makes the team, Alex Carey if he takes the gloves, or someone like Cameron Green, who’s in and out of the team at the moment.
“They’re the guys I’d be looking at to be the leader of our T20 side in two years time. It also gives them an opportunity to have a look at them as leaders, for other formats of the game.”
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It’s a proposal that also has the backing of Chappell.
“You’ve got to look ahead, not look backwards,” he said.
While the possibility of Warner’s lifetime leadership ban being lifted and the opener succeeding Finch as skipper has been floated, Chappell said that won’t happen.
The former captain, who has been critical of the decision to hand Warner a different ban to the one given to Smith for the sandpaper fiasco in 2018, conceded the opener’s time has passed.
“They might make nice people of themselves and change their mind now, but that’s useless,” he said.
“Warner’s not going to captain anything, not for Australia anyhow.”
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