Australia’s most successful T20 International batter and captain will continue to play for Renegades in Big Bash League and would consider domestic T20 opportunities in other countries
Aaron Finch, the skipper and top T20 International batsman for Australia, announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday. Finch guided Australia to its first shortest format World Cup victory in 2021.
The 36-year-old will still represent the Renegades in the Big Bash League, but he will also look at domestic T20 options abroad.
“Our men’s T20I team’s World Cup-winning and longest-serving captain has ended a magnificent career. Thank you @AaronFinch5 for everything “It was stated on Cricket Australia’s (CA) official Twitter account.
Finch’s decision to leave international cricket was predictable. He only participated in five Tests, the last of which was in 2018, and he withdrew from ODIs last year following a well-publicized lack of form while leading the Australian squad.
One of just four Australian men to lead a World Cup-winning squad, he led the nation to their first T20 World Cup triumph in 2021 when they defeated New Zealand in Dubai.
However, the Australian squad he coached was unable to get to the T20 World Cup semifinals in Australia last year. His final international game was the T20 championship, where he led all scorers with 63 runs as Australia defeated Ireland by 42 runs.
Finch told media at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, “Realizing that I won’t be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the proper opportunity to step aside and give the team time to plan and build towards that event.”
I also want to extend a sincere appreciation to all of my fans for their support during my worldwide career. The longest-serving T20I captain and long-time white-ball captain for Australia played in 254 international games across all forms, including 103 T20Is, 146 ODIs, and five Tests (278 runs).
Finch has accumulated 8,804 runs across all formats since making his international debut in a T20I in January 2011, including 17 ODI hundreds and two T20I ones.
Before his retirement, Finch captained Australia in 55 ODIs and a record 76 men’s T20Is. With 3120 runs from 103 matches at an average of 34.28, two hundreds, 19 fifty-sevens, and a strike rate of 142.53, he is Australia’s most productive T20I batsman.
When he scored 172 runs off just 76 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018, he also set the record for the highest T20I score. His remarkable innings featured 10 sixes and 16 fours.
Finch also played for Australia, which represented Australia in the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The first T20 World Cup victory in 2021 and winning the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be the two experiences I love the most, according to Finch.
It has been an amazing honour to play with and against some of the greatest players of all time while representing Australia for 12 years. Finch insisted that it is only the “international cricket that I am walking away from at the moment” and expressed his wish to play franchise cricket. I’m hoping to participate in The Hundred (in the UK), a competition I’ve been eager to play in for a few years, but I wasn’t able to because of COVID and other commitments, he added.
And if something else comes up and it’s the proper time, I’d be interested in it without a doubt. Finch, who has played for nine different IPL teams, will also be commentating on both the ODI World Cup in India later this year as well as the league’s forthcoming season.
Additionally, I was fortunate enough to sign a contract with Star India for some commentary work during the IPL and the 50-over World Cup (which will be held in India later this year), so that will be entertaining.
Since I did a little more broadcasting this year and previous year, I really like that aspect of it. The best job in the world, aside from playing, is one where you get to sit and watch cricket while talking about it.
