At regular intervals of recent history, Australia's selectors have sought to cover for a batting dearth in the younger generation by calling up a more mature performer for a late-blooming Test career. In the wake of the 2005 Ashes defeat it was Michael Hussey, ahead of the 2013 England tour it was Chris Rogers, and later that same year George Bailey.

This time around the batting gulf has been exacerbated by the events of Newlands, leaving Australia shorn of the only two genuinely outstanding talents of their generation. In the place of Steven Smith and David Warner arrives Aaron Finch, a generational contemporary of the latter, with the fervent hope of the coach Justin Langer that as "one of the core leaders in the group" he will be able to provide experience and also performance.

In explaining Finch's selection, Langer cited Hussey, Rogers and Bailey. But whereas Hussey and Rogers were truly prolific first-class batsmen and century-makers before being chosen to play Tests, Finch shares most in common with Bailey, picked primarily for their leadership attributes and recent form in limited-overs matches.

One thing is certain: there is only a partial case to be made for Finch's inclusion based on his first-class numbers alone. A return of 1686 runs at 41.12 and three centuries from first-class matches since the start of the 2015-16 Sheffield Shield is only a wafer-thin difference to Glenn Maxwell's 1547 at 41.81 with two centuries over the same period. Both average better than Joe Burns (39.79), but by Langer's hundreds metric the Queenslander, with seven, has more than Finch and Maxwell combined.

The rest is drawn from the way Finch has dominated recently in Twenty20 ranks for Australia and Surrey, and from how he has emerged a little like Bailey once did as a captaincy figure in the shorter forms. Bailey's experience - playing a cameo role in the 2013-14 Ashes victory then being discarded - suggested that limited-overs runs had limited currency in Test matches, and he was also slotted into a side featuring Rogers, Warner, Michael Clarke, Smith and Brad Haddin. Plenty of quality in other words.

For Finch, the commission is far harder in terms of performing from the very start of his Test career without much experience around him, and so it was perhaps understandable to hear him speaking humbly about what sort of role he might play in the team now led on the field by Tim Paine and away from it by Langer.

"There is some guys on their first tour, which is really exciting for them. While this is my first Test tour as well, I've been around for quite a while and probably know the demands of international cricket," Finch said in Brisbane. "Not necessarily Test cricket, but maybe just a sounding board for some younger guys if they need a chat and wherever Tim and JL think I can help out.

"I thought this was probably the time when if it didn't happen now it was probably less likely to happen down the track. Without teams being selected yet, it'd mean a lot. You grow up in the backyard dreaming of playing Test cricket and getting a baggy green and it's closer now than it has been before.

"It was a nice call to get, something I've always dreamed about and it's been my No. 1 goal, so to be a lot closer than I have been before is really nice. I think my heart rate went through the roof and it was something that I hoped was going to come and as the announcement kept getting pushed back and my phone hadn't rung I thought it was less and less likely, but to get the call eventually was really pleasing."

Watching Finch bully bowlers across England in recent weeks, it is not hard to imagine the Australian team's decision-makers envisioning him as some sort of enforcer against Pakistani spin in the UAE. Over most of the past decade, Finch's struggles to impose himself on the game's long form have related to perceptions of technical frailty and self-imposed mental hangups relative to the simplicity and brutality of his white-ball batting.

Aaron Finch, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting chat at training Getty Images

"I think being aggressive has made me reasonably successful in international cricket in the two shorter formats," Finch said. "I suppose that probably depends on where in the order they see me fitting in if there's a spot in the order, so if it's at the top it's about playing your natural game, if it's in the middle there'll obviously be times when you come in against a lot of spin and maybe the ball's reversing. I think it's about sitting down over the next week or so with the coach and captain and probably start nutting out some plans if a spot is available there.

"There's different ways to go about it at different times. Pakistan are a side that tend to bowl a lot more spin with the new ball particularly in the second innings. It's just about sticking to your natural game, playing to your strengths. I think when that happens you give yourself a high chance of success. I think playing for 10-12 years you build up a game plan and something that you think works for you pretty well. So it's not about going right away from that because it's Test cricket or playing in the subcontinent, I think it's about just changing your mindset slightly. No dramatic changes, but back your strengths 100%."

Unavoidably, Finch was asked about Maxwell's omission, at a time when many felt he would have an opportunity to play a more senior role through the necessity created by the absence of Smith and Warner. "You always feel for guys who don't get selected," Finch said. "I don't think he could've answered much better, getting 80 on a difficult wicket against a really good Queensland attack shows his commitment to working on the areas JL identified the other day.

"I know they've talked a lot about batting and his technique and watching the ball harder, and temperament and going on and getting those really big scores, so it was really nice to see him take that and put it into action first up. It is a game where you let your guard down for a second, and either someone will take your spot, someone will beat you on a day, so you can't leave anything to chance. You can't leave one per cent of preparation undone, otherwise you will come undone pretty quick."

What Finch is also self-aware enough to know is that opportunities to play for Australia are now easier to come by than ever, as a glut of fast-tracked youngsters compete for the chance to show themselves capable of international cricket, rather than having to fight over numerous years for their places in second XI and state programs in the past.

"I think there's a lot of young players coming through now who are super talented," Finch said. "They're probably getting more opportunities than they did 20 years ago when it was the old-fashioned grind your runs out for six, seven, eight years and do your apprenticeship in Shield cricket.

"There's so many different formats and guys just aren't playing as much as they used to I think. The majority of the time a lot of international cricketers were playing a lot of Shield cricket and we just don't see that anymore. But the guys coming through, Marnus [Labuschagne] has had a great couple of years, Michael Neser has been superb for Queensland, Brendan Doggett is someone who's new on the scene and got through a full Shield year in his first year, which is really impressive."

At the age of 31, Finch is old enough to appreciate the opportunity, even if he has not taken the orthodox path to gaining it.