Australia showed character in New Zealand, I was pleased with our resilience to bounce back from 2-0: Aaron Finch

Australia tour of New Zealand 2021: Aaron Finch has said that he was happy with the resilience that his team showed in bouncing back from 2-0 down in the recently concluded T20I series.

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Australia showed character in New Zealand, I was pleased with our resilience to bounce back from 2-0: Aaron Finch
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In Short

  • New Zealand claimed a 7-wicket victory in the 5th T20I to win the series
  • Australia had bounced back from 2-0 down to set up a decider
  • There was a lot of character from the group: Aaron Finch

New Zealand, on Sunday (March 7), claimed a 7-wicket victory against Australia in Wellington to win the five-match T20Is series 3-2. The decider 5th T20I saw crowds back in the stadium after the 3rd and 4th fixtures of the series were held behind closed doors.

The hosts started off with a 2-0 lead against Australia but the visitors bounced back in the 3rd and 4th T20Is, both in Wellington with 64 and 50-run margins of victory, to level the series 2-2 ahead of the decider. Australia batted first, after winning the toss, but were restricted to a total of 142/8 in the 5th T20I.

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New Zealand chased down the total, aided by a Martin Guptill masterclass (71 off 46), with 27 balls to spare. Aaron Finch, who had orchestrated both Australian victories in the previous T20Is, has hailed his side despite the 3-2 loss to New Zealand.

"I was really pleased with our resilience through the series to bounce back from 2-0 down," said Finch, who scored 69 and 79* in the 3rd and 4th T20I, respectively.

"Even when we lost the second game in particular, we were right there, probably one swing of the bat from pinching it. There was a lot of character from the group."

With the series done and dusted, Australia did see the resurgence of Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell’s form but there are more questions left to be answered.

"It's been a long summer for a lot of guys who have been in bubbles, I know some guys in WA (Western Australia) haven't been home for quite a few months," Finch said.

"We're all looking forward to getting home and seeing family and stuff."