Great position to be in compared to 10 months ago: Finch

Southampton, May 28 (IANS) Australia could not have asked for a better confidence booster going into the World Cup beginning Thursday in England and Wales. They have won both their warm-up games against England and Sri Lanka and looking in great form.

"We have been as a group since May 1, and we are still doing our basics really well," Finch said after Monday's warm-up match against Sri Lanka which they won comfortably by five wickets. 

A year ago, the Australian cricket was in turmoil after the ball-tampering incident that took place in South Africa. Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia's premier batsmen, were handed a 12-month ban from international cricket. They lost the ODI series against England and South Africa and didn't seem to retain their world champions' title. During that period, they also lost home Test series against India for the first time ever. 

However, in 2019, the Men in Yellow have found back their lost form. They won ODI series against India and Pakistan and have not looked back since then. The return of Smith and Warner has also bolstered their confidence and now, they are being touted by many cricket pundits, as one of the contenders to win this year's World Cup.

"It is a great position to be in when compared to where we were ten months ago; it is great when guys keep jumping up to fill positions," said Finch. 

Australia will begin their title defence against Afghanistan on June 1 in Bristol.