He has been searching for rhythm and admits to being too hard on himself but Steven Finn has been buoyed by the words of an impressive backer
Andrew Miller15-Jun-2016At the end of the third day at Lord’s, having endured an at-times laborious search for form and rhythm, Steven Finn fronted up for the Sky cameras following his best performance of the series to date. Two quick wickets, in addition to his earlier dismissal of Dimuth Karunaratne, had helped to derail Sri Lanka’s promising first-innings position and set England up for a healthy lead of 128.What had started out as a piece of technical analysis on the outfield turned, towards the end, into an unabashed pep talk, as Michael Holding, one of the game’s great fast bowlers, encouraged Finn to let go of some of his inhibitions and just trust that fact that, with 120 Test wickets at a very healthy average of 28.33, he had done it before at the highest level, and would continue doing it in the future.”You have done it in the past Finny,” Holding said. “You’ve taken wickets on numerous occasions, so you should rely on that past success and just go out and relax. No one can question your ability, no one can question that you deserve to be out there, so go out there, relax a bit and get the job done.””I wasn’t expecting that actually,” said Finn during an event in London ahead of the Royal London ODI series. “I left that interview with a massive grin on my face because one of the best bowlers there has ever been thinks I’m a good bowler.”I’ve actually not had that much opportunity through my career to talk to Michael Holding. That’s probably my own fault for not going and seeking him out.”I know he’s enjoyed my style of bowling from what I’ve listened to on the TV. And so to actually have someone who is a great of the game, done what he’s done and watched as much cricket as he has, saying nice things about you, and just pumping your tyres up a little bit, it’s a great feeling.”Holding’s nickname, famously, was “Whispering Death”, on account of his soundlessly smooth approach to the crease and ferocious pace from one of the most classical actions ever to grace the game.Finn, by contrast, has rarely made the act of fast bowling look so effortless: “Galumphing Mayhem” might be a fairer reflection of his well-documented struggles to align his limbs to his talent.Even when his rhythm has been absent, his threat has remained – he has never gone wicketless in any of his 32 Tests – but on those occasions when everything has clicked, such as the second innings at Edgbaston in last summer’s Ashes, he has ranked among the most hostile and incisive bowlers in the game.Would he go back to seek Holding’s advice in the future? “Yeah. It would be interesting to hear as well,” Finn said. “My approach to the crease, obviously I’ve had issues with that over the years that have caused me numerous frustrations I suppose.
“I’ve got a burning desire to get better. I don’t want to just be as I am now. I want to learn new things as a bowler”Steven Finn
“He arguably had the most beautiful run-up there has ever been, to be called Whispering Death, that shows quite a bit about your approach to the crease. So it would be interesting to see what he saw and what he felt about that, most definitely.”For the time being, however, Finn will settle for that fresh air in his tyres, following a frustrating winter in which his return to the Test side for the tour of South Africa was cut short by a side strain that – much to his chagrin – caused his subsequent omission from the England squad that reached the final of the World T20 in India in April.By his own admission, he was feeling his way back to form in the early weeks of England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, but now, with a five-match ODI campaign looming against the same opponents, Finn feels ready to reclaim his role as the spearhead of the one-day side – especially with the incentive of England hosting two world events, the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup, in the not-too-distant future.”I’d say I’ve got a good record in one-day cricket for England – 60 or 70 ODIs,” he said. “But again that doesn’t count for anything when you go into a series. Obviously I want to be a part of those squads for 2017 and 2019. It would be a massive thing to be able to play in a Champions Trophy and World Cup on home soil. I’m probably the most experienced bowler in the squad going into this series, so there is responsibility on me, but I think I’ve handled that well before and I’m looking to do so again.”In between his injuries and technical set-backs, Finn has been England’s go-to strike bowler in one-day cricket for several seasons now – and with neither James Anderson nor Stuart Broad selected for the forthcoming series, the chance to emerge from the formidable shadow they cast in Test cricket is one that he appears to relish.”I really enjoy it,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the responsibility in the past of bowling the first over of an ODI, of trying to take an early wicket and making inroads early on. I love that pressure and responsibility of going out there and having to set the tone. In the Test matches you try to dovetail behind Broady and Jimmy, because a lot of the time they’re leading the line, [but] hopefully it will bring the best out of me.”The fresh and positive attitude around England’s one-day set-up will doubtless help to bring out the best in a bowler who admitted, during an off-colour display in the second Test at Chester-le-Street, that he could at times be too hard on himself. Though he missed England’s uplifting performances in their march to the World T20 final in India, he’s well aware of the vibe around the squad and ready to immerse himself back into it.Steven Finn preparing food at a Sri Lankan-inspired cooking event•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”The manner in which the guys have played – with a carefree, free-spirited attitude – has served us well,” he said. “If we start looking upon ourselves to force these things and make them happen, that would be a bad place to go to. If we just go out there and try to show off and show people what we can do, that will stand us in good stead.”That’s what the guys did during the World Cup. It’s the mantra Trevor [Bayliss] and Eoin [Morgan] are trying to instil into this side, with all these youthful, exuberant players. It’s served us very well at the moment. If we don’t get too ahead of ourselves, we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves, I think we could be a force to be reckoned with.”There’s a few examples in our team,” he added of the new-found showmanship that England have brought to their cricket in recent months. “Ben Stokes, the way he’s developed over the last 18 months as an allrounder and international cricketer. He goes out there and tries to show off what he can do.”And if you fail and make mistakes that’s fine, you learn from it and you try not to make those mistakes again. That’s the mantra that we have as this one-day team, that there are no wrong decisions.”If you take a positive option and it doesn’t come off, so be it. You learn from it and try to put that into play in a better way next time.”There’s no blame culture, there’s no finger pointing or anything like that. If someone comes in after trying to lash a spinner for six the first ball of their innings, that’s fine, they took the responsibility to try to do that.”Everyone in the dressing room’s okay with that, and as a side that’s an important place to be, and exciting as well. Because we have people who are capable of doing freakish things, and if they’re allowed to go out there and try and do those things then it serves us well.”As to his long-term ambitions in all forms of the game, however, Finn admits that he needs both to work on his game and not let it eat him up in the process. It can be a tough balance to maintain, but confidence gleaned in the coming ODI series should stand him in good stead for the arrival of Pakistan and his return to Lord’s for the first Test on July 14.”I probably can be [too hard on myself],” he said. “I need to accept that I’ve got a very good Test record and have confidence and belief that what I do with the ball and how I get people out are enough in Test match cricket.”But also I’ve got a burning desire to get better. I don’t want to just be as I am now. I want to learn new things as a bowler. People like Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad have shown, all the way through their career, they’ve developed and got better and found new toys and skills, because it’s fun as a bowler when you’re doing these things. I can be hard on myself, but I’m learning to be a bit more realistic now.”Steven Finn was speaking at a Sri Lankan-inspired cooking event hosted by Royal London, proud sponsors of one-day cricket
