Cricket News: Australian captain announces retirement across all forms of international cricket

Aaron Finch, one of the most seasoned players for Australia, announced his retirement from international cricket. Today, Finch said goodbyes to T20 Internationals after a 12-year international playing career.

Finch continued to lead his team in the shortest format after having retired from ODIs last year in September 2022. After 103 matches for Australia, 76 of which he captained the squad, Finch eventually announces his retirement from Twenty20 cricket.

He departs as Australia's leading run scorer in the format with 3120 runs scored at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 142.5. In this format, his career-high 172 against Zimbabwe in 2018 is the highest individual score.

The Australian opener held the record before with 156 against England in 2013. Many people thought that Finch would hang up his cricketing boots after the T20 World Cup in their country in 2022.

One of the reasons behind this was because of his decision to retire from the 50-over format last year. He didn't make a decision, though, until the Big Bash League was over in which he played for the Melbourne Renegades.

"Realising that I won't be playing until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment to step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event. I'd like to thank my family, especially my wife Amy, my teammates, Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia, and the Australian Cricketers' Association for their support to allow me to play the game I love at the highest level."

"I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career. Team success is what you play the game for and the maiden T20 World Cup win in 2021 and lifting the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be the two memories I cherish the most. To be able to represent Australia for 12 years and play with and against some of the greatest players of all time has been an incredible honor,"

Finch said in an official statement.

While Finch retires from T20 international cricket after a successful career, the Australian side is left with the difficult task of selecting a new captain for the game's shortest format. The front-runner for the position is Pat Cummins, but the unpredictable pacer is unlikely to guide the squad in all three game formats.

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