Lord's education crucial for Finn

Steven Finn battled the conditions in Mirpur and was rewarded with the important wicket of Abdur Razzak as England closed in

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Angus Fraser is backing Steven Finn to make a resounding success of his Test career, but has cautioned against expecting too much too soon from his 20-year-old star.

Middlesex are looking to their imposing 6ft 8in fast bowler to lead the line as they seek to rebound from their worst showing in the LV= County Championship since four-day cricket was split into two divisions in 2000.

The waters have been muddied somewhat by Finn’s England call-up for a debut Test series in Bangladesh. His mature performances on almost totally unresponsive tracks has seen his stock rise further ahead of next winter’s Ashes.

While endorsing that aim, Fraser believes his protege’s summer would be best spent learning about the mechanics of bowling.

Fraser said: “I think Steven will do very well for England. The feedback you get from the England coaches is very positive.

“But he’s only 20 and that shouldn’t be underestimated. Steven knows, and everybody knows, that he has a long way to go to be the finished article.

“He’ll be working hard, listening to some things people say and ignoring other bits of advice.

“He benefited enormously from a full season of first-class cricket last year. We had a chat before he went away to Bangladesh and agreed (that he should do the same).

“I think his aim should be 50 wickets at a healthy average. To be honest he was overbowled last summer because of the injury problems we had at our club.

“He would have been a bit knackered by the end of it but he learned a lot from the experience.

Finn should aim for "50 wickets at a healthy average" leading Middlesex's attack in the championship, says Angus Fraser

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“Steven can handle the odd bad day as he’s got a good head on his shoulders and is very good at self-assessing himself.

“He’s getting bigger, stronger and more consistent, becoming a better bowler.”

There is definitely something of Fraser about Finn. Though he does not quite share his predecessor’s lumbering gait, his angled run to the crease and delivery bear an uncanny resemblance to the former England seamer.

Finn also fully endorses his managing director’s mission to return Middlesex to the esteemed position they held in English cricket in the 1980s and 1990s.

The club have already swooped to sign Adam Gilchrist for this summer’s revamped Friends Provident t20, while engaging the more yeoman Iain O’Brien as a season-long overseas player to help shoulder Finn’s pace burden.

There have also been high-profile attempts to sign Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Makhaya Ntini.

Finn said of his mentor: “Angus Fraser is a Middlesex legend; he’s a legend of English cricket.

“He is building together a team that he thinks is good enough to win promotion in the County Championship and contend for one-day trophies.

“I believe in Gus, and trust him all the way, because he’s probably the best thing that’s happened for my cricket career yet.

“He’s so experienced in all areas of the game except maybe Twenty20. It’s great to be able to tap into his bank of knowledge.

Fraser welcomes more competitive final-day targets in 2010, even if Middlesex were outfoxed by Essex at Lord's last year

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“If I find myself in a tough spot at the end of a session, I can just have a chat with him and ask him what he’d do in a situation, or what I could have done better.“

Since Fraser’s appointment in October 2008, Middlesex have made real progress in expanding the club’s profile in more deprived areas of London.

Out in the middle, things have been tougher to turn around. Shaun Udal’s side won only two matches in Division Two of the championship last year, only avoiding the wooden spoon by two points to Leicestershire.

Fraser hopes the greater reward for a win this season - 16 points as opposed to 14 in 2009 - will persuade more teams to go for broke in search of promotion.

“Hopefully the points system might encourage more sides to set up a game, though it’s not a seismic change,” he said.

“Even last year we set up a chase for Essex and they just got over the line. I thought (the declaration) was a bit generous, but what’s the point of playing cricket just to see a match peter out to a conclusion?

“I’d like to see attacking cricket this summer. You want more results, without making matches look ridiculous.”

Middlesex open their championship campaign against Worcestershire at New Road on Friday.

The new Brit Insurance 2010-11 official England Cricket Team kit will be available to pre order from April 1 via ecb.co.uk, and in store from April 29