Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann thinks that Aaron Finch has a good chance of wearing the Baggy Green in the upcoming series against Pakistan. According to him, Finch was close to getting his maiden Test call-up when the former Australia cricketer was coaching the team.

“He can play Test cricket, there’s no doubt about that,” Lehmann reportedly said. “He’s confident in the way he plays spin bowling, he can take an attack on, and leading into this Pakistan series he’s a really good chance to be selected for that one.

“He was always knocking on the door, but he just hadn’t made runs consistently. But his last couple of Shield years have been pretty good. If you take a look at his numbers, they’re right up there. He probably could’ve made a few more hundreds and pushed his case even further but he’s one player we talked about quite a lot.

“He’s close, and when I was coach, he was close. He’s probably closer now,” he added.

Steve Smith and David Warner played an unmatchable part for Australia in terms of batting, as well as leadership, for seven long years. The Aussies are due to host India and Sri Lanka for Test series and also have to face Pakistan in the format before the banned duo’s probable return. And only Finch could fill in for both roles while his aggression could be a boon for the Aussies in the absence of Warner.

Lehmann thinks that the right-hander could open the innings, like he does in the limited-overs, in the subcontinent. However, the former Aussie coach said he would bat him down the list against pace-heavy sides.

“For example, if you’re playing in the subcontinent where the wickets don’t seam that much, I’d open with him. But if you’re playing in Australia, I’d bat him down the list.

“That’s the challenge Justin (Langer) and the selection panel have. But they’ve got to pick him first and work out where he bats."