He failed to take a wicket in his one game in the Champions League but legspinner Cameron Boyce is set for his Twenty20 international debut for Australia on Sunday.
And Australia’s new T20 skipper Aaron Finch says he’s thrilled for Queenslander Boyce.
While the 25-year-old Boyce returned figures of 0-36 off three overs for the Hobart Hurricanes in their Champions League clash with Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on September 18, Finch has guaranteed Boyce a game in the match against Pakistan in Dubai.
Australia have faced some challenges in the build-up to the T20 clash, including allrounder Mitchell Marsh’s mid-week hamstring injury in the Champions League and the uncertainty over which players would be available.
Paceman Pat Cummins is unavailable because of the Champions League final on Saturday in India, but Boyce and Glenn Maxwell are free to play after their teams’ semi-final exits.
Phil Hughes, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe have been added to Australia’s ever-changing T20 squad.
“It’s great to have Boycey and Maxie back in the side,” Finch told reporters on Saturday.
“I know Maxie’s excited about it.
“Boycey to make his debut. He will be playing.
“It’s exciting and I don’t think he would have wanted to miss that for anything.
“You need to take your opportunity when you get it.
“A debut doesn’t come along every day.”
Finch, who has captained Melbourne Renegades and India side Pune Warriors at T20 domestic level, says he’ll be going on instinct rather than a rigid set of plans.
The 27-year-old Victorian is welcoming advice from teammates and he’ll look in particular in the direction of Test vice-captain Brad Haddin.
“Someone like Hadds is such a big driver of the team,” Finch said.
“He’s someone who’s played a lot of Twenty20 and had some success with the Sydney Sixers and Champions League.”
Finch will also rely on “gut feel”.
“It’s really important that you try to stay ahead of the game. At times that might be a spur-of-the-moment decision,” he said.
“The boys are all pretty comfortable with that.
“Sometimes they don’t know what they’re going to get and sometimes I don’t know what they’re going to get either until a few seconds before it happens.
“You live and die by the sword.
“You make some outrageous moves and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.”
KEY STATS ON AUSTRALIA’S T20 CLASH WITH PAKISTAN
* Pakistan to host Australia for a one-off game in Dubai on Sunday (0300 Monday AEDT)
* World rankings: Pakistan 3, Aust 5
* Head-to-head record: Aust 4, Pakistan 8
* Last time they met: Pakistan won by 16 runs in Dhaka, Bangladesh in World T20 group match on March 23 2014
* Australia’s squad: Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Steve Smith, Phil Hughes#, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin, James Faulkner, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson#, Cameron Boyce#, Nathan Lyon#, Sean Abbott#.
# denotes uncapped at T20 International level.
* Pakistan’s squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Awais Zia, Bilawal Bhatti, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Raza Hasan, Saad Nasim, Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz.
