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Aaron Finch, who skippered Australia to the T20 World Cup trophy in 2021, announced his retirement from international cricket, citing that his body cannot match the challenges that come with playing the limited over-formats game at the highest level.
The 36-year-old swashbuckling opener was the captain of their T20I side, having already left ODI cricket back in 2022 September. He has played five Tests, 146 one-day internationals and 103 T20Is for the country.
Finch's two biggest achievements came in 2015 and 2021 when he won the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup respectively. He will continue to play domestic cricket, however, and is expected to sign an extension with Big Bash League (BBL) side Melbourne Renegades, with whom he was a Team of the Year selection as a middle-order batter.
"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," Finch told cricket.com.au.
"He (head coach Andrew McDonald) said to 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 a big break between games it gives everyone involved time to plan and prepare for the next T20 World Cup in 2024 (in the West Indies and the USA) because I can't see myself getting there at all."
"Whoever takes over the leadership of that team, and as a 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," Finch said about his retirement.
He is the only Australia men's cricketer to play over 100 T20Is (103) and is also the most-capped captain — 76. Finch also holds the record for the highest T20I score among all nations — an extraordinary 172 from 76 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018.
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