Australia opener David Warner’s form was the talk of the town heading into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Just before the tournament, the southpaw endured a tough time as he was dropped from the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) playing XI during the second phase of IPL 2021.
Despite the setbacks, Australia skipper Aaron Finch had full confidence in his opening partner and Warner didn’t let him down. The left-hander finished the T20 World Cup with 289 runs and earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
After Australia defeated New Zealand in the final to clinch their maiden T20 World Cup title, Finch revealed that he had called coach Justin Langer a few months ago to tell him not to worry about Warner's form.
"You didn't expect that (Warner winning the Man of the Tournament)? I certainly did. Without a word of a lie, I promise you, I called Justin Langer a few months ago and said, "Don't worry about Davey, he'll be Man of the Tournament," Finch said in the post-match press conference as per ICC.
While Warner scored match-winning half-centuries in the semi-final and final, Finch reckons leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the most deserving candidate for the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
Zampa finished the tournament with 13 scalps from 7 games at an average of 12.07 while his economy rate was 5.81.
"I thought Adam Zampa should have been Man of the Tournament personally, but he's a great player. He's one of the all-time great batters. And he's a fighter. "He's someone who when his back is against the wall, that's when you get the very, very best of David Warner. It was a special finish to the tournament for him, the last couple of knocks," the Australian captain added.
Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets to lift their maiden T20 World Cup title. Apart from Warner, Mitchell Marsh played a dazzling knock of 50-ball 77* to take the team over the line with seven balls to spare while chasing the target of 173.
Finch described the feeling of winning the first-ever T20 World Cup title as "awesome" and said the victory is great for Australian Cricket.
"Yeah, it's awesome, it really is. I think there's been so much talk about this being the one that's been elusive to Australia. And to be fair, we probably underperformed in the past, if we are being honest with ourselves," said Finch.
"We've had some great teams along the way. This team is pretty special. The camaraderie, the way that everyone really cares for each other and looks after each other, looks out for each other; pretty special. So yeah, it's awesome. That's brilliant and it's great for Australian Cricket," he added.
(With ANI inputs)
