On this day in 2013: Aaron Finch smashes 156 off 63 balls in a T20I against England
On 29th August 2013, Australian willow wielder Aaron Finch decimated the England bowling attack to shreds and scored a blazing 156 off just 63 deliveries. This is the third-highest individual score in T20I history.
In an extremely high-scoring encounter, the England side won the toss and decided to field first. And, the Australian innings was just about Aaron Finch and the way he plundered the opposition. Finch took the England bowling attack by the scruff of the neck and scored a breathtaking century, at a strike rate of close to 250.
He scored a colossal 11 fours and 14 sixes in his knock, meaning that he scored a staggering 128 runs in fours and sixes alone. The next highest run-scorer for the Australian side was Shane Watson, who scored a 16-ball 37, as Australia piled up a total of 248 runs on the board.
Also, 6 out of the 7 England bowlers who rolled their arm over leaked runs at an economy rate of over 10 runs per over. Jade Dernbach was the pick of the bowlers for England. In the 4 overs that he bowled, the right-arm pacer gave away 34 runs and also scalped 3 wickets as well.
Chasing a target of 249, England were in huge trouble and were reduced to 42/4. And, it looked as if the England side would go down meekly. However, Joe Root took the fight to the Australian side. Root scored a stunning 90* off 49 deliveries and scored 13 fours and a six in his stay out in the middle. Ravi Bopara also scored a 29-ball 45 as well.
And, the duo of Root and Bopara put together a partnership of 95 runs. And, in their allotted 20 overs, England scored 209/6, losing to their arch-rivals by 39 runs. Fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood scalped a couple of wickets apiece for the Aussies.
Needless to say, Aaron Finch won the Player of the Match award for his ravishing innings. And, even after 9 years, this special knock from Finch will continue to be etched in the minds of the cricket fans who witnessed savagery from the willow of this Australian batsman.
