'Will stay with me for a long time': Finch's best ODI knocks

135 v England – 2015 World Cup, MCG

Perhaps Aaron Finch's finest individual moment in Australian colours. Home World Cup. Opening game. Packed MCG with adoring Victorian fans. Against arch-rivals England.

After being dropped on zero, Finch flayed a hapless England attack for 12 fours and three sixes as Australia amassed a mammoth 9-342 to open the tournament and set the tone for the rest of the World Cup. Such was the right-hander's dominance that when he was run out in the 37th over with the score on 4-216, he had accumulated more than 62 per cent of his side's total to that point before Australia went on to record a thumping 111-run victory with Mitch Marsh claiming 5-33.

"To get a hundred in front of my family and friends at (my) home ground was pretty special and something that will stay with me for a long time. It's up there (with the best I've played) after that initial chance," Finch said at the time.

93 v India – 2019, Ranchi

Fast-forward four years and leading into the 2019 50-over showpiece event, Finch's form hadn't been great. In six ODIs against South Africa and India during the home 2018-19 summer Finch hadn't passed fifty, had only made 83 runs and was averaging just 13.83 with the bat.

To make matters worse, having been recently installed as full-time ODI captain, Finch's side were 0-2 down in a five-match series in India when he strode to the crease in Ranchi. And while it may have not been his most fluent knock, his gritty 93 kick-started a remarkable turnaround for his side and his own fortunes as Australia came back to win the series and record a triumphant 5-0 victory against Pakistan in the UAE two weeks later. Finch himself opened that series with back-to-back hundreds followed by another 90 and went on to score another two centuries in the ODI World Cup a few months later.

"Coming back from to 2-nil down against India, in India, I think the first team to ever do that and to win 3-2, that was something that was so huge for our group at the time, because it was obviously a little transition phase," Finch said today after announcing his retirement from ODI cricket.

"It was in the lead up to the 50-over World Cup in England and we hadn't been in great form, so for us to go there and have our backs against the wall and win 3-2 was really special. And then we took that on to beat Pakistan 5-0 and started off the World Cup really well, too. So that's something that really stands out in my mind of being a special series."

121 v England – 2014, MCG

Only the great Ricky Ponting (seven) has more one-day international centuries than Finch's three at his adored home ground and with his second hundred in the format he became the first – and still only Victorian – to reach the milestone at the MCG.

On this particular day in January 2014, Finch rode his luck to his eventual demise on 121 but it was an innings he said gave him confidence that a place at the top of the ODI order with a World Cup on the horizon could be his for the long-term.

"I didn't know that until after the game," Finch said of becoming the first Victorian to hit an ODI century at the MCG. "It's a very nice feeling. It's a phenomenal place to play cricket, the atmosphere, the ground, everything is ideal for cricket. It's a place that I've loved playing over the years for Victoria and when you get accolades like that it's nice. I thought that Deano (Jones) definitely would have got one before me, but he must have missed out a couple of times."

81 v India – 2015 World Cup semi-final, SCG

Again, under the pump following a string of low scores and on one of the biggest stages – semi-final of a home World Cup against an unbeaten India side – Finch stood up to help keep Australia on a path to glory. After the early loss of Warner, Finch and Steve Smith put on a crucial 182 runs for the second wicket to guide Australia 7-328, which proved too much for MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and co. to overhaul.

Image Id: 01F74936028F42D1BB8C21AC94C528D7 Image Caption: Finch on his way to 81 in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against India // Getty

Not for the first time in his career, Finch toughed it out through a difficult start to finish with seven fours and a six before Australia's quicks put the clamps on India to ensure the home side reached the final at the MCG. "The World Cup is the pinnacle of one-day cricket so to win that on home soil at the MCG was really special," Finch said today.

148 v Scotland – 2013, Edinburgh

Finch was seven matches into his ODI career with a top score of just 38 and had already been dropped a couple of times since his debut in January 2013 when he arrived at Edinburgh for a one-off match against Scotland in September the same year. He came into the match off the back of a then world-record T20 international score of 156 off just 63 balls against England, showcasing his brutal power down the ground with seven sixes and 16 boundaries as he and Shaun Marsh dismantled Scotland's attack with a then-record ODI opening stand for Australia of 246. Finch seized some momentum from that knock, scoring back-to-back half centuries in a subsequent series against India before his first ODI century at home the following January cemented his place in the side.

Image Id: 12DCAE0CEE12451387AE1089FB5B1A84 Image Caption: Finch celebrates his maiden one-day international century // Getty

100 v England – 2019 World Cup, Lord's

After an early tournament loss to India, Australia entered their clash with England at Lord's knowing victory would ensure a semi-final berth and defeat could leave their hopes hanging by a thread. Finch led from the front with his second century of the campaign and third in World Cups, putting on 123 with David Warner for the first wicket as Australia posted 7-285 before Jason Behrendorff and Mitchell Starc ran through England's high-powered batting line-up. Unfortunately, Finch was dismissed for a golden duck in the two sides' next meeting – the semi-final a fortnight later – as Australia were bundled out for 223, a total that England easily accounted for with more than 17 overs to spare.

Men's Dettol ODI Series v New Zealand

Tuesday, Sep 6: Australia won by two wickets

Thursday, Sep 8: Australia won by 113 runs

Sunday Sep 11: Cazaly Stadium, Cairns, 2:20pm

Australia squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Finch (c), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

New Zealand squad: Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson (c)

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