Aaron Finch ruled out of Australia’s game against West Indies; Alex Carey will captain Australia

During the fifth Twenty20 in St. Lucia, Finch injured his knee while batting.

On Tuesday, Australia will play its ODI against the West Indies in Barbados, with captain Aaron Finch hoping to return from injury to lead his side.

Australia lost the final T20I by 16 runs and lost the series 4-1 after Finch twisted his knee while fielding. Finch went on to score 34 despite his movements being restricted by the injury as Australia eventually lost the series. In the event that Finch is unable to lead, Matthew Wade has the best chance of doing so, as he did so last year in the T20I series against India.

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Having to replace the 35-year old Finch would hurt an Australia side already without Steve Smith and David Warner, who are out due to injury and rest, respectively. In addition to Ashton Agar (hamstring), Ben McDermott (quadriceps) is also doing well. To mitigate against the possibility of any potential Coronavirus absences, Australia agreed to send a bigger squad to the West Indies, although Nathan Ellis and Tanveer Sangha are both bowlers.

As a vivid illustration of the stark contrasting states of both sides heading into the three-match rubber, while the tourists struggle to put together a dependable top order, Simmons wants his batsmen to build on the recent success and post-high scores consistently.

After missing the T20I series with a hamstring injury, Finch’s opposite number Kieron Pollard may make his return soon. Following a rest, fellow all-rounder Jason Holder is set to return.