Australian opener Aaron Finch will bid adieu to the ODI format after the end of the New Zealand one-day series in Cairns on September 10. The experienced right-hand batter will retire from the 50-overs version but is set to continue to be the man at the helm in T20Is in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November.
The 35-year-old has taken a call on performance merit for himself as he undergoes a woeful run with the bat in ODIs for the year. The batter has compiled only 169 runs from his 13 innings, with five of those being ducks and only one fifty-plus score to his name. Since the end of the 2019 World Cup in England, Finch averages 33.68 with a strike-rate of 79.73 after 26 innings.
The player will be disappointed not to make the 2023 World Cup, on which he had set his sight a long time back. Finch told the press he had begun to think about his future in ODIs prior to the series in Townsville versus Zimbabwe, realising that the state of his game will not allow him to fight for the glory in India.
“It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories. 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,”
Finch was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“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 indicated he had an idea at the back of his mind to extend his career till the England series later in the year and quit the format with an ODI at his home ground in MCG. However, he said it is “never my style to be self-indulgent”, a quality that drove home the decision to end his 50-over career in the first place.
Part of Australia’s 2015 World Cup win, Finch is approaching his last game with 5,401 runs from 145 ODIs at 39.13 with a strike-rate of 87.83. His tally includes 17 hundreds and 30 half-centuries.
