Finch finds it at right time

It's not often Aaron Finch is being urged to get a move on. He is not Australia's Twenty20 captain and now a treasured and highly compensated asset of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians for nothing.

But circumstances -- namely his own indifferent form -- on Thursday dictated that Finch went about his business in another way in the World Cup semifinal.

The Victorian opener probably won't remember his 81 from 116 balls at the SCG as one of his finest outings. When measured alongside Steve Smith's hundred of physical beauty, Finch's innings was comparably a battle. An afternoon of toil rather than theatrics.

However, given his troubles of the past six weeks, it was one he would take. Out of sorts since his tournament-opening century against England 40 days earlier, there had been some speculation he could even lose his place in the XI for the semifinal. More than once it was mentioned that if not for being dropped in the first over against England at the MCG six weeks ago, he'd barely have a run to his name.

If there was a temptation for selectors to alter the top order and dump Finch it was sidestepped, with those picking the team unwilling to make such a key change at such a point in the World Cup.

Finch, searching for a way out of his rut, had gone to great lengths to find an answer during the week, knowing he was required to deliver at the sudden-death stage. There was extra time in the training nets, a session watched by trusted former teammate Andrew McDonald, even a chat with Brian Lara. The result wasn't a spectacular rediscovery of his best, but after 64 runs in his past five starts, it was something.