My End Date is the World Cup 2023 Final in India, Reveals Aaron Finch
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|| Desk Report ||
The COVID-19-forced break has helped Australia's limited-overs’ captain Aaron Finch to re-think his cricketing career as he looks to extend his career till the next ODI World Cup in India in 2023. He said that he wants to finish his career on a high note with a World Cup final appearance in 2023 as well.
"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," Aaron Finch was quoted as saying by SEN radio network. "That's what I had my mindset 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."
He has said that the five-month-long imposed break has rejuvenated him and he now desires to lead the side in the next three ICC events — the T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 followed by the ODI World Cup in 2023.
"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," he said.
As far as the game is concerned, Australia players will resume their cricketing action after six months when they tour England next month for three T20I and three ODIs which is going to start from September 4 at Southampton. He even said that the pandemic has made him realize how the sport is important to him.
"The first month or so that we were in lockdown, I didn't miss playing at all," he said. "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'.
"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," he concluded.
