‘My numbers in ODIs haven’t..’: Aaron Finch reveals reason behind retirement from 50-overs format

Australia’s white-ball skipper Aaron Finch has announced his shock retirement from the ODI format, ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup in India, but he will continue to lead the side in the shortest format. Finch himself conceded that his numbers in the 50-overs format haven’t been good, and he would have struggled to make it to next year’s World Cup squad. 

However, he has prioritised the T20I format and will be seen leading out the defending champions at the T20I World Cup in Australia. Speaking ahead of his final assignment in the ODI format, the Australian admitted that he felt the time was right to quit the ODI format 

Finch’s poor form, which has plagued him since much before the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, continued in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand currently underway, with the 35-year-old opening batter getting dismissed in bizarre fashion for a duck in the second match at Cairns on September 8.

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In the opening match of the series too, he made just five runs before he was dismissed by Black Caps quick Trent Boult.

Though Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, Finch’s dismal form has become a headache for the side as it prepares to defend its T20 World Cup crown at home in October-November this year.

With more than a year still to go for the ODI World Cup in India, Finch said the time was right for him to call it a day from the 50-over format.

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“Being a bit over 12 months out from the 50-over World Cup (in India), I thought the timing was right now,” Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au in Cairns, ahead of his final ODI assignment — the third games of the series against the Kiwis.

“It’s important that whoever takes over the captaincy from now, whoever opens the batting from now is given the best opportunity to take the team forward and win the World Cup in 2023. I’m very comfortable and very confident that I wouldn’t have made it that far,” he revealed. 

“I think my T20 form has been pretty good for a little while now. In terms of my personal game, there’s not a huge amount of a difference (between ODIs and T20s). But over the last little while my numbers in T20 have been reasonably good and my ODIs haven’t. Maybe it’s a bit of intent. Maybe it’s s a little bit of risk taking that sometimes you get away with any T20,” added Finch.

With agency inputs