Australian cricketer Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to his illustrious career as a top-order batsman and former captain of the Australian T20 team.
At 36, Finch leaves behind a legacy that includes five Tests, 146 one-day internationals, and 103 T20s for his country. He also led Australia to their first T20 World Cup triumph in 2021.
In a statement, Finch expressed his gratitude for the “incredible honor” of representing Australia on the international stage. Despite retiring from international cricket, Finch will continue to play in domestic T20 leagues, including the Big Bash League (BBL) for Melbourne Renegades.
“Realising that I won’t be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event,” he said.
Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch leaves behind a remarkable legacy in the sport, including the title of Australia’s highest run-scorer in men’s T20s.
T20 World Cup winning captain, highest individual score in T20I, 19 hundreds with more than 8000 runs including 507 runs in the 2019 ODI World Cup for Australia.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 7, 2023
Thank you, Aaron Finch. pic.twitter.com/xhT72f0XQC
With a total of 3,120 runs, Finch ranks sixth in the all-time T20 rankings, boasting a strike rate of 142.53 and an average of 34.28. He also hit two centuries in T20 internationals. In addition to his T20 achievements, Finch also made a mark in the ODI arena, scoring 5,401 runs at an average of 39.13, including 17 centuries. He was part of the Australian squad that won the 2015 50-over World Cup.
“Team success is what you play the game for and the maiden T20 World Cup win in 2021 and lifting the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be the two memories I cherish the most,” he added.
“To be able to represent Australia for 12 years and play with and against some of the greatest players of all time has been an incredible honour.”
Aaron Finch made his international cricket debut in 2011 with a T20 match against England and two years later, he played his first ODI against Sri Lanka.
In 2018, he played in all five of his Test matches, recording two half-centuries with an average of 27.80. Finch was first named T20 captain in 2014, but two years later, he was replaced by Steve Smith, who took over as Australia’s skipper across all three formats.
In 2018, following the ball-tampering scandal during Australia’s Test series against South Africa, Finch was named as the white-ball captain. Under his leadership, Australia reached the semi-finals of the 2019 50-over World Cup and went on to win the 2021 T20 World Cup final in Dubai with an eight-wicket victory over New Zealand.
