Finch: Australia batting currently 'one-dimensional'

The big-hitting opener made it clear that Australia's batsmen must change their style or the selectors must pick different players to fit a different plan if they are to start winning again

Australia ODI captain Aaron Finch did not pull any punches in his assessment of his side's batting line-up after they lost their decisive third ODI against South Africa on Sunday.

The visitors were able to record a comfortable 40-run victory to clinch the series, and the big-hitting opener made it clear that Australia's batsmen must change their style or the selectors must pick different players to fit a different plan. With only three ODI series left to get their team in place ahead of next year's World Cup, Australia still look very far away from formalising either a plan or a team.

"If you look at our line-up on paper at the moment you'd say it's an attacking side," Finch said. "A fairly one-dimensional side in terms of attack, versus workers of the ball and your traditional batsmen. Not to disrespect any of the players by any stretch, but it's probably that way and we haven't got it right for a while.

"And that does expose you in the middle order at times when you come upon some different wickets or a really good attack who get on top of you early. We've got a bit over two months until the next one-day games against India, so that'll be a really good opportunity to sit down and reassess and start mapping out that process of how I and JL (head coach Justin Langer) and the leaders think we can be the most successful in this format.

^{Finch reckons Australia's batting is one-dimensional}

"The side we've got at the moment is that way inclined, it's not necessarily the way we've been trying to play. So it's going to be a combination of both, we have to either adapt our game plan a little bit around the way the side is structured best, or we slightly change our personnel to fit a style we think can win. That's something that will come out over the next couple of months when we sit down and dig into it and find a way to get back on top of the world."

Australia made the call to change their opening partnership, with Chris Lynn being pushed up the order from no.4 to opener and swapping places with Travis Head as the hosts chased 321. This decision was made after lengthy talks between Finch and Langer, and despite Lynn being dismissed for a gold duck, one which they would have made again.

"It didn't pay off, but that's cricket. Some days it comes off and you get off to a flyer, that makes it a bit simpler down the line. I think it can be a long-term plan. It was an attacking option to put Chris at the top, change him and Travis. I think to put a couple of guys up there who can take it on and get off to a bit of a flyer is an attacking move. If I had my time again I'd still do it again, it just didn't come off for Chris or me.

"It was only his fourth game, so he's still relatively new to international cricket. He's been around domestic cricket and various tournaments for a long time, but international cricket he's probably still trying to find his feet a little bit and work out ... he knows what works best for him in the shortest format, T20, just about finding that balance at international level as well."

^{Chris Lynn was dismissed for a golden duck}