‘It has been a fantastic ride’: Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch retires from ODI cricket

Australian white-ball captain and World Cup champion Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from ODI cricket.

Aaron Finch of Australia. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Australian white-ball captain and World Cup champion Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from ODI cricket, confirming that Sunday’s series finale against New Zealand in Cairns will be his last match in the 50-over format.

The 35-year-old, who has played 145 ODIs since making his international debut in 2011, will continue to lead the national T20 side.

Watch Australia v New Zealand. Every ODI Live & Exclusive to Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Australia will announce a new ODI captain in November ahead of next year’s World Cup in India, with Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa and Alex Carey among the leading candidates.

“It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories,” Finch said in a statement.

“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.

“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 has scored 5401 runs at 39.13 and smacked 17 centuries in ODI cricket since 2013, winning a World Cup title on home soil in 2015.

The opening batter has captained Australia on 54 occasions in the 50-over format, winning 30 ODI matches as skipper.

Aaron Finch finishes with the second-best 50-100 conversion rate in ODIs for Australia behind David Warner. Further proof that when he was good, he was great in 50-over cricket & that probably would be his legacy #AaronFinch#AusvNZ

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) September 9, 2022

At his best, Aaron Finch was a brilliant one-day batter and he remains a superb tactician as he showed the other night in Cairns.

Feels the right call to leave ODIs now and the home T20 World Cup could be a perfect finishing point#AUSvNZ

— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) September 9, 2022

Not many people in Australian cricket who are liked & respected by just about everyone. Aaron Finch is. Australia couldn’t have asked for better white-ball captain post sandpaper. Destructive batter, underrated tactician, consummate team man. Gets his chance for fairytale finish.

— Andrew Wu (@wutube) September 10, 2022

Most men’s ODI centuries for Australia

29 – Ricky Ponting

18 – Mark Waugh

18 – David Warner

17 – Aaron Finch

“On behalf of Australian Cricket, I would like to congratulate Aaron on his vast contribution as captain of the Australian Men’s ODI team and as a wonderful exponent of the 50-over format,” Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.

“Aaron is an enormously gifted and determined player whose outstanding deeds with the bat have been matched by his strong and inspiring leadership. His decision to step aside from the ODI captaincy now is typical of his selfless approach to the game.

“I’m delighted Aaron will lead the Australian team into the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where his leadership, experience and tactical nous will be integral to the defence of our T20 World Cup title on home soil.”

New South Wales bowler and Channel 7 commentator Trent Copeland tweeted: “Congratulations @AaronFinch5. Unbelievable career! We’ve been bloody lucky to have such a dominant player at the top for so long.”

Aaron Finch of Australia. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Finch, Australia’s 24th men’s ODI captain, is stepping down after a horror run of form with the bat – he has averaged 3.71 in his last seven innings, breaking the all-time Australian record for most ODI ducks in a calendar year with five scores of zero in 2022.

The powerful right-hander has averaged 13.00 this year, with his most recent scores in ODIs being 23, 0, 0, 44, 14, 62, 0, 0, 15, 1, 5, 5, 0.

Last week, Finch was announced as Australian captain for the Men’s T20 World Cup on home soil, which gets underway next month.

Speaking to reporters in Cairns on Saturday morning, Finch revealed he had informed his teammates of his decision after the second ODI against New Zealand.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed the ride every step of the way. There’s been nothing I would change about it, obviously maybe a few DRS reviews over my time, I’ve been shocking at that.

“I told them after the game the other night. It was quite cool actually. Maxy was in tears. It was quite funny.

“I don’t read any of the media, so nothing like that affected me.”

The third and final ODI between Australia and New Zealand, Finch’s farewell match, gets underway at Cazalys Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the first ball scheduled for 2.20pm AEST.

Australia has already retained the coveted Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead on Thursday.

Originally published as ‘It has been a fantastic ride’: Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch retires from ODI cricket