"A little bit surprised but it's also understandable" - Aaron Finch on IPL players withdrawing from WI and Bangladesh tours

Aaron Finch has admitted that he was surprised to see several Australian stars pull out of the country's upcoming white-ball assignments. However, the Aussie limited-overs captain stated that he understands the decision taken by his teammates.

Seven IPL stars, namely Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson and Kane Richardson, opted out of the upcoming West Indies and Bangladesh tours. While Steve Smith was left out due to elbow concerns, others "requested not to be considered for the tour for various reasons".

Aaron Finch spoke to radio station SEN WA on the withdrawal of Australia's top stars and conceded that he wasn’t expecting the same.

"I was a little bit surprised. I've chatted to them all – a little bit surprised but it's also understandable, but I wish that they were there," Finch suggested.

The National Selection panel has named the 18-player squad for the Qantas Australian men's white ball tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. Full release: https://t.co/pAV9fr7drd pic.twitter.com/JAGMYQrOy9

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) June 16, 2021

Australia will play five T20Is against West Indies in July, followed by a three-match ODI series against the same side. A five-match T20I series against Bangladesh in August is set to be confirmed soon, with the games offering a final chance for Australia’s T20 World Cup hopefuls to stake a claim.

Aaron Finch reiterated Australia’s T20 World Cup squad has not been finalized, hinting that an impressive showing in the upcoming games could help fringe players make the cut.

"The guys who aren't there have probably left the door slightly ajar. What that looks like when the T20 World Cup comes around, we'll have to wait and see. But if you can get on the international stage against a very good West Indies side and Bangladesh team (and perform well), it carries a lot of weight,” said Finch.

Hard to justify going back and playing that second half of the IPL: Aaron Finch

NEWS 🚨 : BCCI to conduct remaining matches of VIVO IPL in UAE. More details here - https://t.co/r7TSIKLUdM #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/q3hKsw0lkb

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2021

Aaron Finch also had his say on the prospect of Australian players going back to feature in the second half of IPL 2021. With the current crop of IPL stars having opted out of international assignments due to workload concerns, Finch feels the same group would find it difficult to go back and play the T20 league.

“I think they would find it hard to justify going back and playing that second half of the IPL. Just purely based on the workload coming up with a T20 World Cup and a huge home summer. It's really tough. It's a tough situation that everyone has been put in, but personally, I would find it hard to do that knowing how difficult it is and how challenging it is mentally, and on your family as well. That's what I would think,” Aaron Finch concluded.

The rescheduled IPL 2021 will take place in September-October in the UAE. Pat Cummins' withdrawal has already been confirmed, with the participation of other Australian stars in doubt as well due to international commitments.