At one point, his set partner Matthew Wade faced just nine of 29 balls, which former international Brad Haddin said resulted in him losing his rhythm then his wicket.
Stoinis’s dismissal was unconventional, holing out to a full toss, though teams will have noticed he has failed to put away such deliveries this series.
Competition is fierce for his role, with Mitchell Marsh and Moises Henriques all with strong cases to be in the XI let alone the squad.
Finch would have preferred to take the trophy back home across the Tasman but the series was also a fact-finding mission.
Though the experiment to open with him failed, Josh Philippe showed enough at No.3 to suggest he can provide top-order depth and be a back-up with the gloves to Wade, who returned to the runs with 44 off 29 balls at No.3.
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Australia’s desire to have left-right combinations bodes well for Wade, who is averaging 29 at a strike rate of 147 since replacing Alex Carey as wicketkeeper last year.
Speed demon Riley Meredith impressed Finch, claiming the wicket of wonderbat Kane Williamson for a second time in three balls.
“He got hit a little bit at the end today but his aggression and pace was brilliant,” Finch said. “He showed he’s well and truly up to the level of international cricket. He’s got the skills for it.”
His emergence places more pressure on senior quick Josh Hazlewood, who also has to fend off challenges from Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Sean Abbott for a berth.
