Australia captain Aaron Finch confident of recovering from side strain ahead of Sri Lanka T20 opener

The opener suffered the injury during his half-century for Victoria against South Australia but remains hopeful of playing in Adelaide on Sunday

Aaron Finch is optimistic of being fit for Australia's T20 opener against Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Sunday despite continuing to suffer from a side strain.

The 32-year-old picked up the injury while scoring a breezy 57 from 44 balls for Victoria against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield earlier this month.

Finch hit six fours and a quartet of maximums on the way to his half-century but his aggressive approach led to the ailment which threats to leave him sidelined for the beginning to the Australian international summer.

He missed the Shield and Marsh Cup defeats to Western Australia as a result of the ailment, meaning he has not played competitive cricket for over two weeks.

Australia's preparation for the World T20 on home soil begins in earnest with a three-match series against Sri Lanka starting at the Adelaide Oval this weekend.

And Finch remains hopeful of being involved.

"I don't think it's going to be a long-term injury," he told the media. "I'm feeling better and better every day. It'll be a case of having a hit today, assessing how it goes, having a hit tomorrow and keep reassessing each day.

^{Alex Carey or Pat Cummins could step into the breach as captain against Sri Lanka}

"Probably a little bit of a later diagnosis than what we first thought it was, a bit of a back spasm. It sort of started to get better and then I felt a bit of a twinge in my side. 

"As a result, had a scan on Monday in Perth. Maybe last Friday actually in Perth. Just a little tear there, not a hell of a lot. So I still think I'll be fine on Sunday.

"The back was the same thing [as end of BBL last summer]. The side is something that's totally new. Sitting down for a couple of days in that Shield game at the Junction Oval and then coming out and trying to swing a bit too hard. 

"It wasn't one [shot] in particular. Could have been a number. I went pretty hard."

If Finch is indeed ruled out for the first of 21 competitive T20s between now and the World Cup starting in October 2020, Alex Carey or Pat Cummins will lead the team.

"The two guys who are vice-captains, Alex and Patto, both are well-placed to do it," he added. "Everyone who's involved with the leadership group is across a lot of things. They'll have no issues stepping in if need be."

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