Finch not fazed by batting first v NZ
Australia captain Aaron Finch has backed his side to buck the trend of the tournament to win their maiden Twenty20 World Cup if they bat first.
Australia go into Monday morning's (1am AEDT) final with New Zealand in Dubai having their five wins coming after batting second.
That included chasing down Pakistan's target of 177 in the semi-final of a competition that has seen 16 of the 44 matches won by the team batting first.
Many of those 16 victories came against smaller nations but Finch, who put Pakistan in to bat after winning the toss in the semi-final, said he was confident Australia could defy the odds and emerge victorious if they bat first.
"Absolutely it can be overcome. I said a couple of weeks ago that to win this tournament, at some point you are going to have to win the tournament by batting first," he said.
"I was actually hoping to lose the toss because I would've loved to have put a score on the board against Pakistan.
"It comes down to the day. If you can put a big enough total on the board and make the opposition take risks early in their innings then that's what it's all about and to try and exploit that.
"I reckon around the world T20 teams love chasing but it comes with its risks if an opposition puts a big score on."
The only time Australia batted first in the Middle East was their sole loss of the tournament when they were humiliated by England.
Other sides might have sought changes after they lost by eight wickets, but the Australian captain says there has been an element of vindication in sticking solid to their strategy and selection.
"We just spoke about backing our plans and skills," he said.
"You have to be brave in T20 cricket and put it all on the line.
"The fact we've done it with bat and ball shows the commitment from the team to be able to stick to their own plans and play to their strengths."
Since that loss to England, Australia have strung three impressive wins together but Finch bristled at the suggestion any "momentum" would help their cause on Monday morning.
"I don't believe in momentum especially in tournaments like this," he added.
"You're playing a different opposition all the time so you're not playing on the same wicket, same opposition so it's hard to drill into any positive match-ups you might get.
"It's about the team who turns up and executes on the day. T20 cricket can be brutal at times."
