There have been no doubts about the decision to appoint him says Aaron Finch.
Former Australian captain George Bailey has been appointed as Cricket Australia’s third national selector. He will join Trevor Horns and the national sides’ coach and former Test match opener Justin Langer.
His tenure will begin on February 2020. This will also be after this retirement from all formats of the game. He is one of the very few players that made his international debut as Test captain against India in a Twenty20 International back in 2012. The former batsman would go viral on social media every time he would take the bat. He is also one of the most respected cricket players in Australia which was further proved in his appointment to a selector’s role.
Aaron Finch is confident that there will be no bias about Bailey’s appointment. In an interview, Finch said that ‘Not at all, no, I haven’t heard anyone even doubt the decision. I think everyone, all the players I’ve spoken to, are rapt with the decision. To have someone who is obviously still playing but he’s a professional, he’s been around the game for a long time, he might get sledged a bit less though. No doubt that will not be an issue’.
There was a time when no Australian selector ever played at a T20 International. Bailey, on the other hand, captained Australia in the 2012 and 2014 T20 World Cups and led his country into the top-four in the 2012 edition.
‘It’s great to have someone who has been heavily involved in T20 cricket, in particular, someone who has captained Australia and knows what it takes to be an elite player and someone who hasn’t always done it the easy way. He’s challenged himself technically a lot of times, George, and I think just the way that he played the game is brilliant and to have that talent identification as well is really important’, said Finch.
‘I am passionate about the long-term success of the Australian cricket team and advancing the cause of Australian cricket in general’, said Bailey. ‘I have been fortunate enough to contribute as a player for quite a few years, and to now have the opportunity to continue in the role of a selector is a tremendous honour. I’m confident I can add value to the selection process and that my experience will be complementary to that of Trevor and Justin. I am really excited to be joining them in the coming months’.
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