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“We think on these wickets in these conditions they can do a really good job and be an attacking option as much as anything.”

Australia has real concerns at the top of the order, with David Warner having scored just three runs in his last four innings since arriving in the UAE for the IPL.

Finch has also played little cricket after minor knee surgery, while recently promoted number three Mitch Marsh made a first ball duck against India midweek, as Australia slumped to 3-11 after winning the toss.

Given Warner’s outstanding record in all forms of the game, Australia needs the dynamic left-hander playing well to have any chance of claiming the T20 World Cup for the first time.

“I’m backing Davey’s ability, I’m backing his judgement,” Finch said. “If you look at his World Cup history it’s bloody good.

“Would he have liked more runs? Absolutely. Everyone would like more runs all the time, but he’s one of the greatest players Australia has ever produced and I’ve got no doubts that come game one he’ll be up and firing.”

Finch was also pleased with his progress.

“The knee’s feeling great,” he said. “It’s better than what I thought it would be at this stage to be honest so to be able to play those first two warm-up games against New Zealand and India was crucial, I think.

“I hit a few in the middle, which was nice.”

Maxwell looks set to resume the number 4 position, where he starred in the recent IPL, becoming one of the top five run scorers with 513 runs at an average of 43 and strike rate of 144.

With Marsh set to be number 3 after a successful tour of the West Indies and Bangladesh as Australia’s new first drop, Steve Smith floats down to number five.

“He’s someone who’s so versatile,” Finch said of Smith. “He’s adaptable to all conditions and all scenarios in a game.

“We’ve seen him as someone who can have a really high strike rate or be able to resurrect an innings and get a team to a really good total. He’s a world-class player. He’s really important to the match-up of this team.”

While Smith also had little cricket in the IPL, he was Australia’s top scorer against India, making 57 from 48 balls. It was his first half century since compiling 86 not out for NSW in a Marsh One-Day Cup match seven months ago.

Likely Australian team: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

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