Aaron Finch contemplating retirement: The Australian skipper believes the COVID-19 lockdown has given him clarity regarding his cricketing future.
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Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch has admitted that he didn’t miss playing cricket during the first month of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, it was in the second month that he was itching to get back on the field.
“The first month or so that we were in lockdown, I didn’t miss playing at all. So originally, that was alarm bells for me; [I thought] does this mean I’m coming to the end, do I retire?
“And it was like that 32nd day [of no training] ticked over and I was like, ‘right, I’m itching to get back into it’,” Finch was quoted as saying by SEN.
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Finch, who will lead a 21-member Australian squad for the tour of England next month, further expressed excitement at resuming training in Australia for now.
“I’m just excited to start playing again. It’s been a long five months and I think for everyone having not had this kind of extended break for some time, I think the novelty of that wore off after the first three months and everyone’s been itching to get back into it since then,” Finch said.
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Finch, 33, has led Australia in 69 white-ball matches. It was a couple of months ago that he had opened up about musing on Australia’s 2023 World Cup squad. During his time in the lockdown, Finch also seems to have given a thought to his cricketing future.
“My end date at this stage is the World Cup final of the 2023 World Cup in India. That’s my goal and I’m sticking to it. That’s what I had my mind set on a fair while [ago], but I think this period has just confirmed it. That’ll see me through to 36 [years old], obviously with form and everything permitting, and injuries,” Finch added.
Finch, who most recently talked about bio-secure bubbles having it in them to affect players’ mental health, considers the extended break as a way to freshen up mentally. Finch also didn’t shy away from saying that it was something which was needed but couldn’t have been possible otherwise.
“Having this break, as difficult as it’s been for so many people, for athletes and especially ones that are travelling nonstop and playing for 10 or 11 months of the year, it’s been that mental freshen up that people probably needed but haven’t had the opportunity to do.
“If I thought I was going to be pushing it to get to that date, this break has confirmed that I’ll be ready to go right through to that period,” Finch mentioned.
