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New Delhi, India
Australia captain Aaron Finch got a classy guard of honour from the New Zealand cricket team ahead of his final ODI in Cairns on Sunday. The ongoing third ODI between Australia and New Zealand is Finch's final fifty-over game for his country as he has decided to retire from the format.
Finch will continue leading Australia in T20Is but has decided to quit ODIs to ensure the next captain gets enough time to prepare with the team for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. As the Aussie skipper walked out to open the innings for the hosts in his final ODI, New Zealand came up with a great gesture.
The Kiwis lined up to give Finch a guard of honour and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was seen walking up to him to give him a pat on the back as a mark of appreciation for the Australian captain ahead of his final ODI.
Classy stuff from the Black Caps as Aaron Finch makes his way to the middle #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/LMawJThq7t
â cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 11, 2022
Finch's final ODI appearance didn't turn out as he would have expected as the Australian skipper was dismissed cheaply after scoring just 5 runs off 13 balls. He was cleaned up by New Zealand pacer Tim Southee in his final game to finish his ODI career with 5401 runs in 145 matches at an average of 39.13 and a strike rate of 87.83.
Finch was first appointed as the stand-in skipper of the Australian team in Matthew Wade's absence ahead of the team's tour of New Zealand in 2017. He led Australia in the 2019 ODI World Cup and helped them script a memorable triumph in the T20 World Cup last year.
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He will continue to play T20Is and will lead the Aussies in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 at home later this year. The defending champions will once again start the tournament as one of the favourites and will be looking to go all the way to bag their second successive title.