'Fundamentally I don't think I'm a nice guy when I bowl', says Finn

Despite possessing more than 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs, England fast bowler Steven Finn believes that fundamentally he is not a nice guy when he is bowling.

In December, the 27-year-old was a drinks waiter during the entire five-match Test series in India and he recently also sat on 98 ODI wickets for 18 months as he went unpicked for about 27 matches.

However, he remains unconcerned about all these things and simply tries to focus on his game and at the same time also blocking out what is said about him or his form.

"I read as little coverage as I possibly can because the media can behave quite extremely. There's never much in between - I'm either bowling brilliantly or terribly, I find. It's vital to have those around you who will give honest feedback, and to look beyond the figures too: you might have four for 80 off 20 overs but know you've bowled poorly, then you might get more satisfaction from none for 20 off 15 having bowled well. If you purely looked at the numbers and the outcomes you'd be kidding yourself," the Guardian quoted Finn as saying.

Insisting that ups and downs are the part and parcel of the game, Finn insisted that whenever there is a bad day, he keeps himself motivated by reminding himself to stay at the level.

"Riding the highs too high and the lows too low makes you topsy-turvy as a character and means you won't get the best out of yourself. It's about staying level. When I have a good day I remind myself that I'm not the best bowler in the world, and a bad day I remember that I'm not the worst either. You can't flit between the two that quickly," he added.

Reflecting on his bowling, Finn believes he bowls at his best when his mind is at peace.

"But I bowl my best when I'm peaceful and I'm in the battle with the batsman and he knows that, but not necessarily gnarly and feisty. That stuff distracts me from bat and ball. Fundamentally I don't think I'm a nice guy when I bowl and I think batsmen wouldn't necessarily say I was a nice guy. But I think you have to let your bowling and cricket reflect your personality. I don't think you can kid yourself all that often - it won't last," he concluded.