England-Australia behind closed doors will not dilute rivalry, believes Aaron Finch

The touring skipper accepts some players will relish performing without a baying English crowd - but still expects plenty of intensity

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Aaron Finch admits some of his Australia teammates are relieved to be playing the upcoming white-ball clashes with England behind closed doors, but that the lack of crowds will not affect the competitiveness of the matches.

The fiercest rivalry in international cricket will be renewed in front of empty grounds at The Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford over the next fortnight with bio-secure conditions still in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Touring players have always been targets for home fans and this summer would have been no different. Not only could this potentially be England and Australia's last meetings before the Ashes are up for grabs again, but ball-tampering protagonists Steve Smith and David Warner are back in the country. However, you'll be able to hear a penny drop in Southampton and Manchester.

"The England-Australia rivalry is always huge regardless of who you play in front of," insisted Finch. "You could play in the street and it would still be there. It doesn't matter what sport it is. 

"The fact the stands will be empty makes it a little bit different. Some of our guys will appreciate it a little bit more than others.

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"But at the same time cricketers will spend 90 per cent of the time playing in front of no one, from club cricket to junior cricket. Even state cricket at times. It doesn't change too much."

Despite making great sacrifices to ensure these two three-match series go-ahead for the good of the sport, not least the finances of the ECB and Cricket Australia, Finch is adamant his side have not been softened up by the need to stage the matches.

"In the lead up to coming over here it was our responsibility to make sure we did everything we possibly could to make sure that the tour went ahead," the opener accepted. "At times the results do come second.

"Once you get on the ground and once the competitive juices start flowing and you're trying to execute your skills under pressure against the best players in the world I think it is important that the result is front of your mind and that you want to win."

^{England-Australia matches this month will be missing a significant soundtrack}

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement became increasingly visible following the killing of George Floyd. England and West Indies wore the campaign logo on their shirts earlier this summer and took a knee during the Test series, a gesture which was repeated for the Ireland ODIs.

But the Ashes rivals will not be engaging in a similar act during their upcoming matches, with Finch asking for greater education around the subject rather than empty signals.

"I've spoken to Eoin (Morgan, England captain) and we're not going to do a specific gesture like has happened in the past," he added. "The education around it is more important than a protest. We're really proud to play a game that is celebrated all over the world and anyone can play it. 

"It doesn't matter what race, what religion, what nationality you're from cricket is the game for everyone. I am really proud of that. The education is far more important than the protest."

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