Aaron Finch retirement: Australian captain’s ODI career in numbers

Australian ace Aaron Finch has announced he will be retiring from one-day international matches following the last match of the ongoing series against New Zealand on Sunday. The 35-year-old will keep leading the T20I side and will be a part of the T20 World Cup in October.

“It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories,” Finch said in his announcement. “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,” he added.

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“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,” the right-handed batter said.

Finch made his Australia debut against Sri Lanka on January 11, 2013, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Since then, he has represented the country in 145 ODI matches, scoring 5,401 runs. He has also scored 17 centuries and 30 half-centuries, with his highest score being an undefeated 153, which came against Pakistan in March 2019. He has also hit 532 boundaries and 129 sixes in his career till now.

Finch scored his first ODI century against Scotland in 2013, when he scored 148. In 2019, he registered four ODI centuries, scoring 1,141 runs in the process. The Australian ace has scored seven centuries against England (most by any cricketer), four against India and two against Pakistan in his career.

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The 35-year-old has also scored the third most ODI centuries for Australia, following Ricky Ponting (29), David Warner (18) and Mark Waugh (18). He was also part of the Australian team that emerged victorious in the 2015 ICC World Cup.

Aaron Finch was made the Australian ODI captain in 2018, following the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa that resulted in bans for three cricketers, including Steve Smith and David Warner. Since then, he helped Australia to advance to the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup in England, where they were defeated by England.