Australia’s men’s Twenty20 captain Aaron Finch retired from international cricket on Tuesday, ending a 12-year career as one of the most prolific run-scorers in the limited-overs format.
A devastating opening batter at his peak, Finch’s position has been under a cloud ever since Australia failed to qualify at the knockout stage of last year’s T20 World Cup at home.
‘It’s the right time to step back’
It is unclear who will replace the Victorian-born batsman, who has captained the team in 76 of the 103 T20s he has played since his debut against England in 2011.
“Realizing that I won’t be playing until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right time to step back and give the team time to plan and build towards the event,” he told reporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“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.”
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The 36-year-old was named the game’s best T20 batsman in 2018, and captained Australia to their first T20 World Cup victory in Dubai in 2021.
Only five players have scored more runs than Finch in T20 internationals.
Finch retired as Australia’s one-day captain last September, replaced by 29-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins.
Cummins also leads Australia’s Test squad, but selectors may be reluctant to add the T20 captain to his workload.
Finch said winning the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup in 2015 were two of his cricketing memories that would be his “most cherished”.
He holds the record for the highest score in T20 internationals – 172 runs off 76 balls against Zimbabwe in 2018.
He also scored the third highest T20 international score – 156 against England in 2013.
‘Great’ Australia
Cricket Australia chairman Lachlan Henderson said Finch was one of Australia’s “best white-ball players”.
“While he is a tough competitor on the field, Aaron always plays the game with a smile and the right spirit,” Henderson said.
“As one of only four men to captain Australia to World Cup victory, Aaron will always have a special place in Australian cricket history.”
Finch’s Melbourne Renegades club called him “a great Australian cricketer”.
Although prolific in the limited-overs format – he scored 5,406 ODI runs and 3,120 in T20 internationals – Finch failed to make an impact in Tests.
He played five Tests for Australia in 2018 but was dropped after failing to impress the selectors.
Finch is expected to continue playing T20 cricket in Australia’s domestic league.