The right-hander's emergence as Australia's preferred limited-overs opening partner for David Warner has come at the expense of his availability for the Bushrangers. In the two seasons of the standalone Matador Cup he has played only four matches, while his experience in the Sheffield Shield last season consisted of a solitary innings, in which he made 53 at the WACA Ground.

Finch, 28, was not due to play in Australia's recent one-day series victory in England - selectors thought he needed more time to recover from a foot injury - but once he joined the squad, as the replacement for the injured Warner, he looked arguably as assured as he had at any time in his international career.

"I suppose being injured gave me a chance to really work on my technique and change a couple of things I think I needed to," said Finch, now back in Melbourne and in training again after the series. "Being away from the game a little bit gives you a clear mind . . . I felt quite comfortable and relaxed with my technique."

For all of the strides Finch has made for Australia in one-dayers and Twenty20s - he already has seven centuries - he still has a conspicuous millstone around his neck: his poor Sheffield Shield record.

In the 34 matches he has played since debuting in January 2010 he has averaged only 26.03. One reason to be optimistic that can be overcome is his record in England, where Finch's reputed red ball weakness about being too susceptible to wicketkeeper and slips-cordon catches should theoretically be challenged most. In his two years with Yorkshire he has scored 415 runs at an average of 46.11, with one century and two half-centuries.

Since Christmas 2012 Finch has played only 12 matches for Victoria: seven in the shield, five in the Matador Cup. With at least six matches - possibly as many as eight - in the Matador Cup and five in the shield by early December, Finch is set to have a level of continuity in playing he has lacked in recent seasons.

The 28-year-old said the looming one-day tournament in Sydney, for which the Bushrangers depart on Monday, had occupied most of the team's focus. But he has had some discussions with new coach David Saker and captain Matthew Wade about what his role will be for them in the shield.

"I think it's going to be somewhere in the top order . . . No.4 would be ideal," he said.

Finch said he was not placing too much weight on the rare opportunity for him to play so much cricket for Victoria, especially in the shield, thanks to the gap in Australia's limited-overs schedule between now and mid January.

"We've seen in the past they are picking guys [for Tests] out of one-day cricket, because if you're making runs in international cricket, no matter what form, it means you can play at the level," he said. "But it is something I'm excited about, five shield games in a row."