5 best innings of Aaron Finch in international cricket
Aaron Finch, Australia's only T20 World Cup-winning captain, announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday. It put an end to a career that spanned more than 12 years.
Having retired from ODIs last year, Finch had said that he would reassess his future post the Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23. Now, just a few days after the conclusion of the BBL, Finch has stated that he feels it's the right time to move on.
One of the greats in his own right.
Aaron Finch's legacy on the Australian Men's Cricket Team will live on forever! https://t.co/23bvcE4e4i
Having featured in 254 games across the formats, Finch has compiled 8,804 runs for Australia, including 19 centuries.
Here, we look at five of Finch's best innings in Australian colors.
#1 172 vs Zimbabwe, Harare
In a T20I fixture against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2018, Aaron Finch went berserk as he smashed 172 off just 76 deliveries. He made a mockery of the bowling, hitting 16 fours and 10 sixes as the Zimbabweans had no answers to the questions that he posed.
Over the course of his innings, Finch broke his own record for the highest individual score in T20Is and the record stands to date. He eventually made his way back through a hit-wicket dismissal which depicted his dominance on the day. He shared a mammoth opening stand of 223 runs with D'Arcy Short.
#2 153 vs Pakistan, Sharjah
Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, Finch smashed his highest score in an ODI fixture against Pakistan. Batting first, Pakistan garnered 284 runs thanks to a century by Mohammad Rizwan. In response, the visitors chased down the total rather easily, courtesy of a brilliant 153* by skipper Finch.
Finch shared a 209-run opening stand with Usman Khawaja and carried his bat. It was a fluent knock by Finch, who was also exceptional in terms of captaincy. Under Finch, Australia won the five-match series 5-0 and were suddenly a force to reckon with ahead of the show-piece event.
#3 156 vs England, Southampton
During the first game of the two-match series against England in 2013, Finch went on a carnage as he slammed 156 off just 63 deliveries, striking at 247.61. He smashed 14 sixes and 11 fours, helping Australia post a big score of 248. Prior to the game, Finch had played just six T20Is for the Men in Yellow and the knock helped him cement his place in the side.
England put up a fight, but eventually went down by 39 runs and Finch was named the Player of the match. In the post-match presentation, Australia's captain George Bailey reserved rich praise for Finch, stating that the only innings that came close to this knock was Chris Gayle's 175 in the IPL. This was the highest individual score in T20Is until it was broken in 2018 by none other than Finch himself.
#4 148 vs Scotland, Edinburgh
Finch was at his absolute best in a one-off ODI between Australia and Scotland back in 2013. The talented batter amassed148 off just 114 deliveries, sharing a sensational opening stand of 246 with Shaun Marsh (151).
Marsh took his time to get going but it was Finch who tormented the opposition bowlers, as he went on to smash 16 fours and seven sixes.
Australia ended up with a huge total of 362 and the Scots, as expected, were rolled over. It was Finch's maiden hundred in one-day internationals and he continued his blistering form, having scored a T20I hundred against England just a few days prior to the game.
#5 153 vs Sri Lanka, The Oval
In a game between Australia and Sri Lanka in the 2019 World Cup at the Oval, Finch scored a daddy hundred to help his side post a total of 334 against the island nation.
He shared an opening stand of 80 with David Warner but it was the former who raced away and did the bulk of the scoring. He also shared a partnership of 173 runs with Steve Smith over the course of the innings.
Finch's knock was laced with 15 boundaries and five sixes. It was a captain's knock by Finch and even though Sri Lanka got off to a good start in the chase, they collapsed and handed an easy win to the defending champions.