Aaron Finch targets 2023 ODI World Cup retirement as lockdown reaffirms his drive
Aaron Finch wants to be part of three World Cups in three years before likely calling time on his international career at the end of the 2023 ODI tournament in India.
Finch is preparing to captain Australia on their limited-overs tour to England which will mark their return to action for the first time since March. He said that the first period of downtime created by the pandemic was a welcome change to a hectic lifestyle that often sees him away from home, but over the last couple of months the desire to return to the middle has increased.
The chance to captain in a home tournament has now been pushed back to 2022 with the postponement of this year's T20 World Cup with the next tournament now being the 2021 event in India. He has previously talked about the aim of reaching the 2023 World Cup and he hopes to be able to atone for last year's semi-final exit by ending his international career on a title-winning note.
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"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," Finch told SEN Radio. "That's what I had my mind set on a fair way out but I think this period has just confirmed it. That will see me through to 36, obviously with form and injury permitting.
"But I think having this break, as difficult as it's been for so many people, I think for athletes - especially ones that are travelling non-stop and playing 10 or 11 months of the year, it's been that mental freshen up that people needed that haven't had the opportunity to do so.
"If I thought that I was going to be pushing it to get to that date, this break's definitely confirmed that I'll be ready to go right through to that period."
Living in Melbourne, Finch, along with Glenn Maxwell, the two Victoria-based players in Australia's squad, have been under very strict lockdown protocols in recent weeks since the city went into Stage 4 restrictions due to a spike in Covid-19.
He revealed that he and his wife, Amy, have not even been allowed to go to the supermarket as all precautions have been taken by Cricket Australia to reduce the risk ahead of the England tour. He and Maxwell have been able to continue training at the Junction Oval but have separated from the rest of the Victoria squad.
Finch is due to have his third Covid-19 test on Thursday ahead of flying to Perth on Sunday to connect with the chartered flight that will take the team to the UK.