Aaron Finch officially calls it a day in international cricket

Aaron Finch has called it a day on his international career as he brought the curtain down on his T20I days, paving the path for a new Australian leader to take over the mantle in the shortest format of the game. 

The move comes on the trail of the hard-hitting Australian stepping down from ODIs last year and given the significant gap that Australia has until they play their next T20I, the former RCB opener chose to hang his boots once and for all.

Australia played their last game against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup and following the Kangaroos’ exit from the tournament, there was already a lot of heat on his back. Aaron Finch, however, couldn’t participate in that fixture due to an injury. 

However, he did arrive in boisterous fashion in the recently concluded BBL where he scored 428 runs at a stunning average of 38.90 for the Melbourne Renegades throughout the span of the tournament. Finch captained the Australian T20I team for the first time in 2021 against New Zealand in Dubai.

Talking about his retirement, Aaron Finch said, “Realising that I won't be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment to step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event.”

He further added, “I'd like to thank my family, especially my wife Amy, my team-mates, Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association for their support to allow me to play the game I love at the highest level. I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career.”

Finch continued, “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. 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 was part of the RCB setup in 2020 where he managed to smash 268 runs. In his IPL career, he has been a part of 92 fixtures from which he amassed 2091 runs that also starred 15 half centuries. He had a significant impact in the glistening ranks of BBL too as he racked up 3245 runs from 102 games, smashing 26 half-centuries and 2 centuries at a phenomenal strike rate of 132.18. While he has decided to call it a day in international cricket, Finch will continue plying his trade in franchise cricket.

Aaron Finch stepped down as Australia’s leading run scorer in T20Is as he managed to hammer 3120 runs at a fine average of 34.28 and a staggering strike rate of 142.53. His highest score of 172 still remains to be the top score in T20Is that came while surpassing his own best score of 156 against England in 2013.