Finn is the youngest member of England's Ashes squad
  • Finn is the youngest member of England's Ashes squad
  • The beanpole paceman made his first-class debut for Middlesex at 16
  • And was thrown in for a shock Test chance in Bangladesh last winter, where he immediately looked the part
  • He soon had his name on the Lord's honours board thanks to a man-of-the-match display in his first home Test
  • Finn has been held out of one-day internationals so far in order to work on his strength and conditioning

Finn has been a fixture in England's Test side since his debut in Bangladesh last March.

He was earmarked for the top from the moment, in 2005 at the age of 16, he became the youngest player to represent Middlesex since Fred Titmus in 1949.

Generating pace and alarming bounce from his slender 6ft 8in frame, Finn quickly made his way through the England age group tiers, Lions and finally into the Test XI.

An unexpected chance came in Bangladesh when injuries to Stuart Broad, Graham Onions and Ryan Sidebottom saw him drafted in for a surprise Test debut in Chittagong.

He only managed two wickets on a grassless pitch but the England management liked what they saw and it was the start of an - as yet - unbroken run of eight appearances.

The 21-year-old marked his first Test on English soil, also against Bangladesh on his home ground of Lord's, with nine wickets in a man-of-the-match display - his haul 5-87 in the second innings ensuring his name is etched for posterity on the honours board.

Despite being held out of one-day cricket to undergo a strength and conditioning programme, Finn's form trailed off slightly in the second half of the summer against Pakistan.

But a record of 32 wickets at 23.21 in his first eight Tests was impressive enough to earn him the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award - and he appears well equipped to thrive in Australian conditions.