Finch: I had to grind a little bit

2015 World Cup

Australia batsman Aaron Finch admits that the half-century he scored in the World Cup semi-final win against India was not his best but is thankful to Steve Smith who kept the innings moving forward.

After the early loss of his opening partner David Warner, Finch and Smith then combined to put on 182 for the second wicket which was the cornerstone of Australia's winning total of 328 for seven.

The 28 year-old Finch though was not his usual attacking self, instead he was struggling to time the ball and at one stage he could not get the ball past any fielders.

Luckily for Finch, and the Aussies, Smith was at his fluent best. He hit the ball crisply from the moment he walked in to bat and naturally was the aggressor in the partnership.

The right-handed Finch, who has been under-pressure to score runs, went on to make 81 from 116 balls, and he played a vital part when he just kept Smith company as he was going on his merry way.

Australia bowled India out for 233 inside 48 overs to win the match by 95 runs and book their spot in the World Cup final.

Finch said: "It wasn't my best innings, I had to grind a little bit but I was fortunate to have Steve Smith at the other end. He sort of kept that partnership flowing while I was trying to grind it out and get down the other end.

"I felt like I was hitting it nicely in the nets for the last couple of weeks so I wasn't overly worried about my form. It was just a case of getting in and getting through the initial new ball."

Finch is now looking forward to Sunday's World Cup final at the MCG, which is his home-grown and is expected to be at 100 000 capacity.

He said: "It's a place I love playing. I've played a lot of cricket there now and it's a pretty special place. When it's packed out, 100 000 people, it's going to be amazing. Not a better place to be."

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