Aaron Finch announces retirement from Big Bash League

Melbourne, Jan 4 (IANS) Former World Cup-winning Australian captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from the Big Bash League (BBL) at the end of the current season with Melbourne Renegades.

The 37-year-old confirmed the news at Marvel Stadium on Thursday ahead of the Renegades clash with the Hobart Hurricanes, saying the current season will be his last.

Reflecting on his extraordinary career at both international and domestic level, Finch said he has “loved every minute." "There've been some real lows but great highs, and I’ve loved every bit of the journey. No moment can compare to winning the BBL title, that for me was very special and something I’ll remember. I’m proud to have played at the one club for the entirety of my career."

Finch was the captain of Renegades for nine consecutive seasons, between season 2 to 10. He is the club’s leading scorer with 3311* runs and sits behind only Chris Lynn on the Big Bash League’s all-time runs tally, among a host of accolades.

After taking over the club’s captaincy from current Australian men’s coach Andrew McDonald, Finch's impact as a leader was felt right across the club. It reached its pinnacle in early 2019 when he guided the Melbourne Renegades to their first BBL title in a memorable final against rivals the Stars.

Renegades Head Coach, David Saker, said: "Finchy has been an outstanding servant and leader with the Renegades, it’s such a rare feat in the Big Bash to spend your career at the one club. Everything that’s been successful with the Renegades, Finchy has had everything to do with it.

"I first coached Finchy when he captained Victoria’s Under-19s and I’ve seen him develop as a leader and person. He’s a unique type of leader, very tactically aware while he bases a lot of his decisions on gut feel, and that’s a courageous thing to do out in the field."

Finch will play his farewell BBL match at the Melbourne Derby against the Melbourne Stars on January 13 at Marvel Stadium.

He currently stands as the seventh-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, with 11,458 runs at 33.70 and a strike rate of 138.21. His highest score of 172 came for Australia against Zimbabwe in 2018.

In February 2023, Finch declared his retirement from international cricket, marking the end of his illustrious career that saw him step away from ODIs in late 2022. A notable highlight of his captaincy was leading Australia to victory in the 2021 T20 World Cup.