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He lost his Test spot come Sydney and also struggled for runs in ODI cricket and even in the Big Bash League, sparking suggestions his spot in the World Cup could be in doubt.

That changed through ODI tours of India and the United Arab Emirates, the latter against Pakistan, when he had 451 runs at 112.75

"I probably just changed my mindset a little bit, more than anything. I started to doubt my game a lot before that in the Australian summer and there were a lot of times when I was just questioning every single decision that I was making, whether it was technical, mental, physical," he said.

"Everything that I could, that I was doing, I was just questioning because you're looking for an answer that you don't know what the answer is. So it can be really tough at times, when you don't know what the end result is but you're searching so hard for something you don't know."

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Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, now coach of county side Sussex, praised Finch's technique against Sri Lanka.

"He has been playing the ball late and under his eyes, by playing the ball late and under his eyes allows him to hit the straight ball," he said.

Finch revealed advice from Victorian and Renegades coach Andrew McDonald, the former Australian all-rounder who is likely to be in the running to coach England later this year, had been priceless.

"So for me, I was looking for everything other than just the most basic thing, which is watch the ball and react to it. I mean, you can butter it up any way, but I was just going back to the basics, going back, doing a little bit of mental work on changing my mindset to just be positive," he said.

"And Andrew McDonald always says to me: 'If you get caught at mid-on or you get caught at first slip, you're still out, so play your natural game'."

Finch's sumptuous driving was a particular highlight of his 14th ODI century - but Australia will hope he can replicate this against power nations England and New Zealand and, should they meet again, India.

Where the form of some captains through history has dipped when shouldered with extra responsibility, Finch is now relishing the role, for he has been praised by the likes of Michael Vaughan for his tactical prowess.

“I have to say Aaron Finch, so far in this tournament, for me he has been the best captain tactically," the former England skipper said last week.

Typically understated, Finch said the entire squad had been of help.

"I think we've got some great leaders in our squad, as well, which really helps out - that everyone acts and prepares and trains and looks after each other like a leader," he said.

"So I would say my influence is minimal. It's more about everyone buying into the culture and doing the job that's asked of them really well, and it's a good environment to be in at the moment. There's a lot of good guys that are doing a lot of good things behind the scenes."