Aaron Finch, Australia's T20I Captain, Announces Retirement From International Cricket

Finch hangs up his boots having accumulated 8,804 runs with the help of 17 One-Day International hundreds as well as two ODI centuries after making his debut against England in January 2011.

Australian cricket player Aaron Finch speaks during a press conference announcing his retirement from international cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on February 7, 2023. ( Image Source :AFP )

Australia's T20I captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from international cricket. Finch famously the Aussies to their first and only ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy in 2021. The right-handed batter led the Kangaroos in 76 T20Is and 55 ODIs before he calling time on his international career. Overall, the 36-year-old represented the Aussies in 254 international matches across all formats- five Tests, 146 ODIs and 103 T20Is.

"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 hangs up his boots having accumulated 8,804 runs with the help of 17 One-Day International hundreds as well as two T20I centuries after making his debut against England in January 2011.

While he had already decided to leave the 50-over format last year, he had continued to lead the Kangaroos in the shortest format but couldn't help the hosts defend their T20 World Cup title last year.

Our World Cup winning, longest serving men's T20I captain has called time on a remarkable career.

Thanks for everything @AaronFinch5 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cVdeJQmCXN

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) February 6, 2023

It was in this tournament itself that Finch last donned the Australian colours as he scored 63 runs and helped his team beat Ireland by 42 runs. That, however, as it turned out, wasn't enough for them to secure a place in the semis.

During his stint in international cricket, Finch was among the best batters in white-ball cricket especially in limited-overs cricket. He was even nominated for the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Decade award in 2020.

While he played several memorable knocks, one that helped him smash a world record which he still holds was his knock of 172 off 76 deliveries, which is the highest score in a T20I. His innings came in Harare in 2018 and was studdded with 10 boundaries and 16 maximums.

“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," he stated.