Australia's T20I captain Aaron Finch announced his retirement from internationals on Tuesday. During his astonishing career, Finch led Australia to their first ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy.
The 36-year-old is drawing a line under a career that yielded two World Cup trophies and over 8,000 runs across formats.
Finch, a former one-day captain has retired from 50-over game in September. He used the home summer to decide on his T20 future after Australia's World Cup title defense ended before the semi-finals.
"Today, fully, I think the time is right to let the T20 team move on into a new phase, particularly with a World Cup coming up in 2024," Finch told reporters.
Earlier, Finch had said that it was time for a successor to make a mark at his home Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the World Cup victory in the 50-over tournament in 2015 was celebrated.
"It's been a pretty amazing ride," said Finch.
"I think that the time is right to allow them enough time and space to allow a new captain to take over and move the team in their direction," Finch added.
Though a declining output of runs preceded his ODI retirement, Finch had an excellent tournament in the recent Big Bash League, smashing 428 runs at an average of 38.9 to help guide the Melbourne Renegades into their first finals series in the T20 tournament in three years, reported Reuters.
"When you are on the road for the best part of 12 years you go through some highs and you go through some lows, and to always have my family there to support me has been amazing," he said.
Beginning his career from a rural town in Colac, Finch finishes with 3,120 runs in T20Is at an average of 34.28, owning two of the three highest scores in the format.
In 2018, Finch has replaced opener David Warner, who was suspended over ball-tampering issue.
As both a captain and an opener, Finch would be hard to replace. Reportedly he offered up former skipper Steve Smith as a possible successor for captaincy while suggesting selectors could also look at Travis Head and Ashton Turner.
(With agencies inputs)
