I've no sights on England, admits Finn

Steven Finn says thoughts of an international recall are far from his mind. The former England paceman is Middlesex’s leading wicket taker in the Blast this summer after being appointed T20 captain.

However, Finn is realistic about his chances of playing for England again. Instead he is finding new rewards in helping the next generation of Middlesex cricketers develop and gain valuable experience in an experimental team for this year’s Blast.

“England’s a long way off my radar at the moment,” he told TCP. “It’s very much just playing for Middlesex and doing a good job for Middlesex.

“If we’re being realistic, that [England] is a long way off. I’ve not played for England for three years now. I've not been in that set-up at all. I've had two knee surgeries, and a couple of niggling injuries since then.”

Finn was a member of three successful Ashes squads, taking 14 wickets in three Tests in England’s historic win down under in 201/11, including a six-for in the opening Test at the Gabba.

Despite a period out of the game after the 2013/14 tour of Australia when he rebuilt his action, he came back to help England win another Ashes series in 2015, returning Test best figures of 6-79 at Edgbaston which won him a man of the match award.

He looks back with pride on an international career which brought him 254 wickets in all formats.

“If you had said to me before I started my professional career, or even my England career, that I'd play 120 odd games across formats for England and be part of three Ashes wins, an away win in South Africa, an away win in India, number one ODI team, I don't think I’d have believed you.”

As Middlesex’s youngest-ever first-class debutant aged just 16, and the youngest man to reach 50 Test wickets for England, Finn is a firm believer in the benefits of giving players exposure to first-team cricket.

He is one of only three players over 30 in the Seaxes’ side for the Blast and is excited about the way the youngsters have stepped up in the absence of last year’s international powerhouses Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Paul Stirling, and AB de Villiers.

Middlesex’s youth policy has been partly driven by necessity, but it is also part of a deliberate plan by the county to give youngsters an opportunity to show what they can do on the big stage with one eye on the future.

“I was very fortunate to be exposed to first-team cricket when I was very young,” he says. “That helped me immensely when it came to competing with men when I was 16, 17, 18. You learn to grow up and develop a lot quicker than if you're shielded from that at a young age. So, the fact that these guys are playing and competing and doing well against some experienced pros, I think is a very good thing for us as a club.”

In the Blast Finn has been particularly impressed by 19-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder Luke Hollman, who has hit some useful lower-order runs. He also describes seamer Blake Cullen, who made an immediate impact in the Bob Willis Trophy, as an exciting talent.

Watching the youngsters play their natural games without fear is something he feels the more experienced players can learn from.

“It’s very much the environment that we try and breed at Middlesex to give those young guys the opportunity to just go out and express themselves. That’s what a number of the young guys have done so far in T20.”

Finn made a good recovery from the knee injury which caused him to pull out of the 2017/18 Ashes tour and limited his appearances for Middlesex the following summer. He returned last year determined to hit the deck hard and bowl at pace.

With no competitive cricket until August due to lockdown, it has taken him a couple of games to get into his stride, but already has nine wickets in five games including a return of 3-18 in the win over Essex.

“I'm trying to lead from the front. The great thing about captaincy is that you actually don't worry about your own game at all. You've got so much going on, especially out there in the field. That's a huge benefit to not be able to stand around and think about stuff. You have to crack on and make the next decision.

“That's helped my bowling. So, I feel in good rhythm, I have done since we came back from lockdown. I felt as though I'm in pretty decent form. It’s just about keeping that going and trying to push the team forward.”

Despite mixed results from their opening five games, Finn believes his young charges have put the building blocks in place to be more competitive in the second half of the tournament.