Finn Allen ready to learn with Lancashire Lightning

The 22-year-old has enjoyed something of a breakout six months, topping the run-scoring charts in the Super Smash, making his T20I debut and experiencing the IPL. And while the T20 Blast is a step up, Allen is ready for the challenge

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Lancashire’s newest recruit Finn Allen is determined to use his spell in the T20 Blast as an opportunity for personal development, pinpointing Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone as the players he is most keen to learn from.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed something of a breakout six months. He scored a tournament-leading 512 runs in the 2020-21 Super Smash to help Wellington Firebirds retain their title before making his T20I debut for New Zealand against Bangladesh in March and training alongside Virat Kohli and co. at Royal Challengers Bangalore during the Indian Premier League.

And while acknowledging the Blast will be a step up from New Zealand’s domestic T20 league, Allen does not seem phased by the challenge. Instead, he is relishing the opportunity to mix with some of the best players and coaches in white-ball cricket, and maybe take a piece of silverware back to the southern hemisphere.

"I’ve watched a lot of the Blast back home on TV," he said. "I can already tell it’s quite a good standard. From the different types of players and all of the overseas players, it’s probably a step up from what I’ve come from in the Super Smash but I’m hoping to be tested. It’s just another opportunity to learn and grow my game.

"First and foremost, I want to help Lancashire hold the trophy up at the end of the tournament, that would be pretty awesome. But personally, [I want to] just keep learning. There’s a lot of guys there like Livi [Liam Livingstone] and Jos [Buttler] to learn off, other guys as well and there’s some new coaches who I’m looking forward to learning from. Just keep grinding and keep learning, that’s what I want to do."

Buttler, in particular, will be closely scrutinised by Allen, who sees himself as a similar player to the England wicketkeeper-batsman.

"My brand of cricket is aggressive," he said. "I like to take the attack to the bowlers and put them under a bit of pressure. I like to try and hit to all parts of the ground and manoeuvre fielders to create gaps for myself. What I’m figuring out now is how I can do that for longer and take more calculated risks.

"It was pretty cool meeting [Jos] in training [on Monday]. He’s a player who’s got a vast amount of experience and someone who’s been successful in the Blast, so learning his craft and how he goes about things. He’s quite an aggressive player as well, so learning off [him] is pretty awesome for someone of my age.

"Seeing the knocks he’s played over the past few years and how good he’s become. Even watching him in the IPL, he’s pretty tough to bowl to when he gets going and the array of shots he has – he’s a 360 player. Someone like that is very beneficial for me to play with and learn off."

Among the challenges waiting for Allen during his first stint in county cricket is the reputation he’s built for himself following his stellar Super Smash. He enters the Blast as a marked man and will likely be targeted by a plethora of spin bowlers, a tactic Nottinghamshire used during their second XI match against Lancashire last week.

T20 Blast 2021 team guide: Lancashire Lightning

However, following his stint in India, Allen is confident in his abilities against spin: "I have thought about [being a marked man] and being less one dimensional. I have a very aggressive approach to my innings but it’s about being able to hit similar balls to different areas or moving around to access different areas of the ground. That’s what I’ve been working on for the last two or three months.

"I have heard that Old Trafford does tend to spin, especially later on or when the pitches get used a little bit. It’s a new challenge, it doesn’t happen in the Super Smash but I still back myself. My strike rate is potentially a little bit lower against spin, but I think I’m a good player of spin. It also gives me the chance to play my array of shots and think about planning my innings differently which is good.

"Coming from India, I have a lot of experience of playing a lot more spin than I was used to and one turning wickets, so hopefully that’s put me in good stead for Old Trafford. My main focus was being able to get close to the ball while it was spinning so you have more control and learning from Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] and AB [de Villiers] and how they go about it."

^{Allen batting in the nets}

And speaking of Maxwell, the Australia international and Emirates Old Trafford fan favourite gave Allen plenty of insight into life at Lancashire and, in particular, the importance of Roses.

"He spent the whole IPL wearing a red rose hat," Allen revealed. "He didn’t have a bad word to say which was exciting for me. He said the lads were really good, really hard-working and that the coaches were really good, and he benefitted from that. He also shed a bit of light on the [Roses] rivalry and playing in front of the crowds here.

"Roses is a massive deal for us. It’s towards the back end of the tournament so I’ll focus on it nearer the time, but it’s something to look forward to."