England vs. Australia Cricket 2013: 5 English Batsmen to Rival Aaron Finch

Batted well and truly out of the game—that is the best way to sum up England’s 39-run defeat to Australia in Southampton, which saw Aaron Finch obliterate the home attack on a stunning night of cricket.

Compiling a world-record T20 international score, Finch smashed 156 from 63 balls, clearing the ropes 14 times. When he went easy on the England bowlers, he settled for 11 fours. However, by the time he was finished, England were chasing a close-to-impossible 249 for victory.

If Finch picks up a bat again at Chester-le-Street—and you get a sneaky suspicion he might—England could yet find themselves needing a similarly giant total on Saturday.

The question is, do they have a batsman capable of matching such feats?

Below we name five potential rivals to the fantastic Finch, one or two of whom are currently outside the England squad:

Kevin Pietersen

The obvious choice and still one of the game’s most naturally gifted batsmen, Pietersen’s strike rate is an impressive 141.51 in T20 internationals.

With that being said, to some surprise, he is still to register a century. His highest T20 score at international level is 79, while he averages just under 38. Nevertheless, Pietersen can play every shot in the book—plus several outside of it. He also boasts a T20 hundred away from the international scene, clubbing 80 sixes in 85 matches across all forms of T20 cricket.

There is no weapon in the Finch locker that Pietersen does not boast. When their ODI records are compared, the latter’s strike rate and average easily usurps his Australian counterpart, who has never hit higher than 38.

Graham Napier

Yet to receive an international cap, Napier may just be the most dangerous blade-wielding Englishman to have never worn his country’s colours.

Finch’s 14 sixes on Thursday provides context to the savagery of Napier’s finest moment in T20 competition.

In 2008, the Essex man smashed a world-record 16 deliveries beyond the boundary rope, posting an astonishing 152 against Sussex. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to book a spot in England’s 30 for the 2010 World Twenty20, and a subsequent stress fracture to the back has made it difficult for him to fight his way back into the reckoning.

He did, however, repeat the feat of 16 sixes in a 130-ball 196 in first-class cricket, smashing 103 off the last 29 balls back in 2011.

Eoin Morgan

Like Pietersen, Morgan has never registered an international T20 century, but that is hardly surprising given the fact he usually bats in the middle order. His highest score is 85 not out. His average is a little below 34.

Known more as a finisher than a man who can lead from the front like Finch, Morgan still boasts a strike rate of 130 and has hit 110 boundaries in 36 innings. Superb in the triumphant 2010 World Twenty20 squad, Morgan’s difficulty playing spin is perhaps his biggest hindrance.

Joe Root

England didn’t have to look too far for a potential rival to Finch in Southampton. Root put up an admirable fight in England’s reply. An unbeaten 90 off 49 balls already means the 22-year-old has bettered the high scores of Pietersen and Morgan, and this was his first international T20 innings.

Recognised as a Test star of the future and likely England captain, Root already averages over 40 in the Test and ODI arena. The T20 game was not expected to be his natural suit, but a strike rate of 183.67 suggests he has got the power and timing in him to add aggression to his game where usually he oozes calm.

Jos Buttler

Another youngster, less than a year older than Root, Somerset’s Jos Buttler carries huge power. Already his international T20 strike rate from 18 innings is 149.73, and he looked good for his 27 from 17 balls on Thursday before letting one through.

Buttler’s position in England’s batting lineup is always likely to prevent him scoring runs on the scale of Finch, but there is no denying his ability to crash boundaries. A total of 36 have come in 18 innings, but only once has he posted a half-century to date.