It's not often Aaron Finch is being urged to get a move on. He is not Australia's Twenty20 captain and now a treasured and highly compensated asset of Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians for nothing.

But circumstances - namely his own indifferent form - on Thursday dictated that Finch went about his business in another way in the World Cup semi-final.

The Victorian opener probably won't remember his 81 from 116 balls at the SCG as one of his finest outings. When measured alongside Steve Smith's hundred of physical beauty, Finch's innings was comparably a battle. An afternoon of toil rather than theatrics.

However, given his troubles of the past six weeks, it was one he would take. Out of sorts since his tournament-opening century against England 40 days earlier, there had been some speculation he could even lose his place in the XI for the semi-final. More than once it was mentioned that if not for being dropped in the first over against England at the MCG six weeks ago, he'd barely have a run to his name.

If there was a temptation for selectors to alter the top order and dump Finch it was sidestepped, with those picking the team unwilling to make such a key change at such a point in the World Cup.

Finch, searching for a way out of his rut, had gone to great lengths to find an answer during the week, knowing he was required to deliver at the sudden-death stage. There was extra time in the training nets, a session watched by trusted former teammate Andrew McDonald, even a chat with Brian Lara. The result wasn't a spectacular rediscovery of his best, but after 64 runs in his past five starts, it was something.

It wasn't unexpected that Finch might struggle to find his groove. The difference at the SCG, admirably, was that he managed to scratch and squirm his way through the tough times.

There were plenty of those early for Finch: an edge off Umesh Yadav that flew between gully and slip in the second over, then a theatrical swing and a miss off Mohammed Shami. A lovely straight drive down the ground to the Randwick end, again off Shami, emerged as a potential turning point. Yet by the 15-over mark Finch's strike rate was, uncharacteristically, below the 50 per cent mark.

There were a few ramps and reverses to come later on, and one audacious uppercut for six over point from the bowling of Mohit Sharma. And until he was done for pace by Yadav in the 39th over, he looked like he could collect himself a second century of the World Cup and set the foundation for a monster Australian score north of 350.

Even so, he never really found the top of his range, leaving that to Smith and then briefly Glenn Maxwell. Finch, in his powerful pomp, is not usually one for the anchor role, but endeavouring to relocate his touch, it was one he had to take.

Australia could probably have used him to go on, and wind up late in their innings, particularly given how an Indian fightback that followed his exit forced the hosts to modify their ambitions.

For Finch, though, runs are runs, and he is finally back among them.

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