Aaron Finch announced his retirement from international cricket, stating that his body couldn't cope with the struggles of playing at the highest level and that he didn't see himself playing in T20 World Cup 2024.
"I always wanted to get through the Big Bash and re-assess after that, and I found my body was sore after a BBL game and took a couple of days to recover. McDonald said give yourself time to make a decision that's not an emotional call, but one that's right for you and your family. I feel as though that's what I've done. I thought long and hard about it, but with a big break between games it gives everyone involved time to plan and prepare for the next T20 World Cup in 2024 because I can't see myself getting there at all. It would be doing the position and the team a disservice to play on for purely selfish reasons," Finch told cricket.com.au.
Finch retired from ODIs last year after struggling in the format for quite a while Finch is expected to play in BBL for at least another year with the Melbourne Renegades, where he was named in the Team of the Year as a middle-order batter. He is also weighing the option of participating in foreign T20 leagues. "I loved the new role in the middle-order with the Renegades, and being around the youngsters keeps you young for a little while," Finch said.
He went on to say that he has been fortunate enough to play the game for 12 years. He also feels that the time is right from him to move on, since the team is in a good spot. "Whoever takes over the leadership of that team, and as new opening batter, you've got to give them enough time and space to work into those roles and give them a great opportunity to make the team their own over the next 18 months. I've been bloody fortunate to play for 12 years, and I think the team's in a really good spot now for me to move on," he added.
Aaron Finch's Career: A Glance
- ODIs - 5406 runs in 142 innings at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 88 with 17 hundreds and 30 fifties.
- T20Is - 3120 runs in 103 innings at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 142 with two 100s and 19 fifties.
- Tests - 278 runs in 5 innings at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 45 with two fifties against his name.
