Australian limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from ODI cricket. He will be seen leading the team for the last time in the third ODI against New Zealand on 11 September. Finch has taken this decision due to his poor form. The Australian captain was struggling to score runs in this format for a long time. In the last 7 innings, only 26 runs have come off his bat. However, he will be seen leading the Australian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022.
Finch will play his 146th and final ODI at the Kajlis Stadium in Cairns on Sunday. This will be his 54th match as captain in this format.
Talking about Aaron Finch's ODI career, in 145 matches played so far, this player has scored 5401 runs at an average of 39.14. Finch has 17 centuries to his name in this format and he is the second most century-scorer for Australia after Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, and David Warner. Ponting has touched the 100 mark most of the 29 times in this format, while David Warner and Mark Waugh are above Finch with 18-18 centuries.
Finch had told the 2023 ODI World Cup as his final goal, but due to his poor form, he had to retire from this format before.
But Finch said in a statement on Saturday morning that the time has come to give a new captain the best possible chance to prepare for and win the next ODI World Cup.
Finch, who made his ODI debut in 2013, said, "It's been a wonderful journey with some incredible memories. I've been extremely fortunate to be part of some wonderful ODI teams. Equally, I've been blessed by all of them. I have played together and many people are behind the scenes. I thank all those who have helped and supported me in my journey to this point."
Cricket Australia can announce the new captain of the team after the ODI series against New Zealand. Strong contenders are Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Pat Cummins.
