Aaron Finch has announced he will retire from one-day internationals after the final match of the series against New Zealand in Cairns on Sunday. He will continue to captain the T20 side. It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories," Finch said. "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."It is time now to give a new leader the best possible opportunity to prepare for and win the next World Cup. I thank all of those who have helped and supported my journey to this point." Finch has endured an poor run of form in 50-overs making just 169 runs at 13, with five of his last 12 innings being ducks including two days ago in Cairns. In his last seven innings he has made 26 runs.
The 35-year-old will play his 146th and final ODI on Sunday in Cairns against New Zealand, capping an outstanding career in the 50-over game in which he has scored 5,401 runs. His 17 centuries put him behind only greats Ricky Ponting (29), David Warner and Mark Waugh (both 18) Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said: “On behalf of Australian Cricket, I would like to congratulate Aaron on his vast contribution as captain of the Australian Men’s ODI team and as a wonderful exponent of the 50-over format.“Aaron is an enormously gifted and determined player whose outstanding deeds with the bat have been matched by his strong and inspiring leadership. His decision to step aside from the ODI captaincy now is typical of his selfless approach to the game.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said: “On behalf of Australian Cricket, I would like to congratulate Aaron on his vast contribution as captain of the Australian Men’s ODI team and as a wonderful exponent of the 50-over format. Aaron is an enormously gifted and determined player whose outstanding deeds with the bat have been matched by his strong and inspiring leadership. His decision to step aside from the ODI captaincy now is typical of his selfless approach to the game. "I'm delighted Aaron will lead the Australian team into the forthcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup where his leadership, experience and tactical nous will be integral to the defence of our T20 World Cup title on home soil." He made his debut against Sri Lanka at the MCG in 2013 and scored his first century against Scotland later that year when he struck 148. His career-best of 153 not out came against Pakistan in Sharjah in March 2019.
