Australian cricketer Aaron Finch is set to play his final professional match in the Melbourne derby on Saturday, marking the end of his T20 career. Despite having a year remaining on his Melbourne Renegades contract, Finch announced his retirement from professional cricket. He has only played four games for the Renegades this season and has been unavailable since sustaining a back injury on December 23.
Finch, a former Australia captain, will retire as the BBL‘s second leading run-scorer, behind Chris Lynn, and Renegades’ games record-holder, having played in each of the 13 seasons of the BBL for the same club. He captained the Renegades to their lone BBL title in 2018-19. The upcoming farewell match is expected to draw a crowd of more than 30,000.
The cricketer, who has amassed over 11,000 runs across the T20 format, shared that he might experience more emotion in his BBL farewell than he did when retiring from international cricket for Australia in 2022. Despite a challenging BBL season, Finch expressed gratitude for his cricket journey and the support from fans.
Finch cited the 2018-19 BBL title as his greatest achievement and emphasized his love for playing home games at Marvel Stadium, despite the venue not being popular among BBL players. Following his retirement, Finch is likely to transition into full-time commentary work.
Teammates, including Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, praised Finch’s significant contribution to the BBL, Australian cricket, and mentoring younger players. Finch, looking forward to the future of the BBL, highlighted the return to 10 games as a positive change that would elevate the competition’s standard.
The Melbourne derby against Melbourne Stars at Marvel Stadium will be Finch’s final appearance in professional cricket, concluding a remarkable T20 career.
