Aaron Finch, the captain of the Australia T20I team, has ended his remarkable international career, which includes guiding Australia to their first-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup victory. Before announcing his retirement on Tuesday, Finch captained Australia in 55 ODIs and a record 76 men’s T20Is. The long-time white-ball captain played in 254 international games for Australia in all forms, including five Tests, 146 One-Day Internationals, and 103 Twenty20 Internationals.
“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,” ICC quoted Finch as saying at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
“I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career,” he added.
Finch has accumulated 8,804 runs since making his international debut in a T20I match against England in January 2011, with 17 ODI hundreds and two T20I ones.
In September of last year, Finch called time on his ODI career. However, he proceeded to lead Australia in T20s, most notably during their unsuccessful home defence of the T20 World Cup.
The right-hander played his final international match in that tournament, leading Australia to a 42-run victory over Ireland, but they were unable to go past the quarterfinals despite his top-scoring performance of 63.
Finch was a top-tier white-ball cricket player for a large portion of his career. He was a candidate for the ICC Men’s T20 International Cricketer of the Decade award in 2020.
He broke the record for the greatest T20I score when he smashed 172 runs off just 76 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018. His incredible inning had 16 fours and 10 sixes.
The third-highest men’s T20I score ever is Finch’s 156 from 63 balls against England in Southampton in 2013.
“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,” Finch said.
When he represented Australia in the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and served as captain of the team for the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 36-year-old reached the height of his career.