Assistant coach Brad Haddin says captain Aaron Finch ‘would be silly not to’ use the input from Steve Smith and David Warner
If Aaron Finch upholds his country’s proud World Cup record and becomes the fifth Australian captain to lift the trophy at Lord's in six weeks’ time, from a leadership perspective, he won’t have done it alone.
On pure numbers, the desire to whisk Steve Smith and David Warner back into Australia's top order for their 50-over title defence was a no-brainer.
However the reintegration of two players who have both previously captained the side, but are now barred from holding any official leadership position — until next year for Smith and indefinitely for Warner — had the potential to cause disruption.
The Australian camp insists it hasn’t, and Finch is ensuring the duo’s vast experience and tactical nous isn’t lost to the team, despite the ongoing sanctions.
“Aaron’s got a very good cricket brain first and foremost, but there's always times in a game when you go to your senior players," assistant coach Brad Haddin in his interview with cricket.com.au.
“Sometimes you get caught up in the moment and you can miss little things, so it is important that all your senior players are there to support your captain.
“Smithy and Davey are no different. They’ve got great cricket brains so at certain times in matches you’d be silly not to use them.”
“I think Steve’s just really excited to be back batting,” Haddin continued. “It’s never been an issue with the leadership or the captaincy. Both Steve and David are just really excited to be back playing international cricket.
“They're just excited to be out there. Whatever role you give them they’ll be happy at the moment.”