One-day international (ODI) captain for Australia, Aaron Finch, made the decision to retire from the format of the game months before the 2023 Cricket World Cup. On Sunday in Cairns, Finch will play his 146th and final ODI against New Zealand. He will continue to serve as the team’s captain in the T20 format, and they will defend their World Championship crown the following month.
“It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories. I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of some brilliant one-day sides. Equally, I have been blessed by all those I have played with and the many people behind the scenes. I thank all of those who have helped and supported my journey to this point,” Aaron Finch said in a statement.
Aaron Finch was suffering from a terrible form in the ODIs with 5 of his last 12 innings being ducks including 2 in Crain’s. In his last 7 innings, he scored just 27 runs.
The ODI World Cup 2023 is set to take place in India the following year, therefore the retirement also coincided with that. Finch was looking forward to that World Cup, but in order to try to retain his title as World T20 winners, he will now let someone else lead the team in that format.
Last year, Australia became the first country to win the T20 World Cup.
I thank all of those who have aided and supported my path to this point, and it is now time to offer a new leader the best opportunity to be ready for and win the next World Cup, he said.
Aaron Finch bids adieu to a stellar ODI Career
With the exception of his recent losses, Finch has a stellar record in the ODI format. He has more than 5000 runs with 17 centuries in the format, and he was a member of the team that won the 2015 World Cup. Aaron made his debut in 2013 against Sri Lanka and later that year, while scoring 148 against Scotland, he smashed his first century.
In 2019 at Sharjah Stadium, Finch scored 153 against Pakistan, which was his highest total. He enjoyed playing especially well against Pakistan, England, and India. Finch averages a 49.16 versus Pakistan, a 48.35 against England, and a 48.66 against India.
In the 2019 ODI World Cup, he captained Australia to the semifinals before England eliminated them.