Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch - Professional Australian Batsman
Aaron “Finchy” Finch (Aaron James Finch) is a well-known cricketer who plays as a batsman. The 34-year-old Australian player has changed 13 professional clubs in Australia, England and India during his 14-year career. Currently, he is the leading player of the Royal Challengers Bangalore club (Indian Premier League (IPL)) and the captain of the national team in the ODI and Twenty20 (T20I) format.
The Australian holds several individual records in the form of T20I. In 2018, he became the first player to overcome the 900 rating points mark according to the official version of the ICC Men’s Player Rankings.
Aaron Finch: early career
The athlete’s career developed quite rapidly. The Australian junior made his debut in 2006 at the local club Colac West Cricket Club as a wicket-keeper and immediately took part in the Cricket World Cup (U19), held in Sri Lanka.
In 2007, Aaron signed a contract with Victoria, in which he played two full seasons. He made his first century in 2009 in the first-class match against Tasmania thanks to a partnership with David Hussey. In October 2012, he scored 154 runs in a match against Queensland as captain, thereby rewriting Victoria’s ODI record.
In 2011, he participated in the first season of the Big Bash League with the Melbourne Renegades, where he became a league player. The authority and professional vision of the game allowed Finchy to become the captain of the club later. In 2015, it was Aaron who became the first Big Bash cricketer to score 1000 points.
In the 2014/15 season, the Australian joined the English Yorkshire, and since 2016 he has joined Surrey. During the July T20 Blast 2018, the batsman scored 131 points, thereby setting a club record for performance in T20I matches.
Aaron Finch: international career
The Australian made his debut for the T20I team in a match against England in January 2011. Two years later, Finch was invited to play for Australia in an ODI match against Sri Lanka.
High-performance indicators allowed the player to participate in the Cricket World Cup 2015. In the first match of the Australia – England group stage, Finch scored 135 runs, which directly affected the national team’s victory. Despite his status as a highly rated batsman, the coaching staff suspended him from participating in the opening two matches of the 2016 ICC World T20 without explanation.
In January 2017, Aaron acted as a replacement captain in the first match of the ODI series against New Zealand. It was a forced necessity due to the injury of Matthew Wade. However, by the second game, the captain did not cope with back injuries, and therefore Finch continued to fulfill his duties in the remaining matches.
In 2018, the cricketer signed a contract with Cricket Australia for the entire upcoming 2018/19 season, and in July of the same year scored 172 points in a match against Zimbabwe. This result in T20I was a personal achievement of the brave Australian.
In the October 2018 series, the top batsman joined the national team for a Test with Pakistan. For 62 points and 49 runs in two innings, he received the baggy green cap from the hands of Allan Border.
In April 2019, Finch led the Australian national team at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In November 2020, he was nominated for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade Major Award.
As a result of the March 2021 meetings with New Zealand, Aaron Finch surpassed David Warner in terms of performance in the T20I format and became the first Australian cricketer.
Aaron Finch: Indian Premier League
The Australian player has represented teams from the IPL more than once. The first club of the Indian Premier League for Aaron was Rajasthan Royals; then, he continued his career in Delhi Daredevils. In the off-season of 2013, he moved to Pune Warriors India, a year later – Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was signed by Mumbai Indians for the next season despite injuries; a year later, he went to the Gujarat Lions camp, where he also did not stay. In 2018, he was bought out by Kings XI Punjab.
Finchy spent the whole of 2019 preparing for the Cricket World Cup 2019, where the Australian national team reached the semi-finals. The 2020/21 season was played for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Aaron Finch: achievements
The Australian batsman is one of the leading players of the national team and the clubs in which he plays. On his account, there are several records that have made Aaron Finch in the history of this discipline:
- Scored the most points in a T20I match: 156 runs for 63 balls;
- hit the fastest triple century in T20I in just 47 balls;
- scored the highest number of fours;
- hit the fastest fifty in just 18 balls in an ODI;
- scored the highest individual score in 2018.
Given that the 34-year-old player is in excellent shape, it is possible that he will be able to continue to please fans with new achievements.
Aaron Finch: private life
Today, Aaron Finch is considered one of the most athletic cricketers in the world. The Australian does not hide that he is actively engaged in the gym, as well as jogging. He prefers swimming and other water sports.
A gourmet, but not a vegetarian. Music preferences: heavy metal. Favorite food: gnocchi, fruit (dates and melon). Favorite color: green. He is fond of painting, speaks Hindi. According to the cricketer himself, he has a manic love for driving a car.
Married to Amy Griffiths, he was close friends with Phillip Hughes until his death, as evidenced by the fact of Finch’s presence among the pallbearers.
