NEW DELHI: Former England pacer Steven Finn went down memory lane, recalling a bizarre and painful moment when he found out he had been dropped from the team while he was in a toilet on Christmas Day.
The incident dates back to the memorable 2010–11 Ashes series, which eventually proved to be England's last Ashes triumph on Australian soil, as Andrew Strauss's side sealed a 3–1 victory.
Finn shared the painful memory while speaking on the For The Love of Cricket podcast with Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad. He said the decision to drop him was expected, as he hadn't bowled well, but he was still holding onto hope against hope.
"The lowlight [of his Ashes memories] would be being dropped on Christmas Day by Andrew Strauss in the toilet area of the MCG," he said.
"I kind of guessed [it was coming] because I'd gone round the park in Perth. We'd got rolled by [Mitchell] Johnson twice in that Test match.
"I hadn't bowled well, I knew I was up for the chop, but you still try and retain some hope that you're going to survive and play in a Boxing Day Test.
"He [Strauss] made a beeline for me and I thought, 'Oh s***, this actually happening.' He said, 'Can we have a quiet word in the toilets?' We were stood by the hand dryers.
"He delivered the news very matter-of-factly. It wasn't unexpected but it still hit me like a train at the time because I'd been dreaming of playing in a Boxing Day Test."
England decided to replace Finn with Tim Bresnan, a move that ultimately made sense from a team perspective. But for the 21-year-old fast bowler, whose family had flown to Melbourne specifically to watch him play in the fourth Test, the news was devastating.
