Sophie Devine New Zealand women's cricket captain Sophie Devine will retire from ODI cricket after the end of the Women's ODI World Cup later this year. However, she will remain available for T20Is under casual agreement as per reports in ESPN Cricinfo.
Devine made this announcement just a day before New Zealand's 17-player women's contract list is set to be announced. She has confirmed that she will not be a part of the central contract list of players, however, will lead the side in the ODI World Cup while a new ODI skipper will be appointed ahead of the home season.
Sophie Devine made her international debut back in 2006. She has been playing for over 19 years and is New Zealand's second-highest capped women's ODIs player behind Suzie Bates and sits fourth on New Zealand's all-time women's ODI run-scorers list as of now. She is expected to move upto third place as she is likely to overcome Debbie Hockley's tally of 4064 runs in the ODI World Cup. As of now, the list is led by Suzie Bates with 5896 runs from 171 ODI games.
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Right Time For Me To Start Stepping Away - Sophie Devine
Interestingly, Devine is also second in the list of most ODI wickets for New Zealand after Lea Tahuhu. She and Tahuhu and the only two bowlers with more than 100 ODI wickets for the White Ferns.
"It feels like the right time for me to start stepping away. I feel very fortunate to have NZC's support in finding a solution that means I can still give to the White Ferns. It's important that everyone knows I'm focused and dedicated to giving this group everything I can before I step away. I'm really excited by where this young group's going and I'm looking forward to playing my part in the next six to nine months" Devine said on her retirement.
New Zealand women's high-performance coach Liz Green said that she had the support of the support staff regarding making this decision.
"Sophie's given nearly 20 years of service to the White Ferns and NZC is fully supportive of her quest to find more balance at this stage in her career," Green said. "We're pleased to be able to reach an agreement that means she can continue to be involved with the White Ferns on a case-by-case basis, whilst opening up the opportunity for another player to be contracted in full" Green said.
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Devine Applauded For Her Contribution To White Ferns Cricket
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink looked back and congratulated Devine for her contribution to White Ferns cricket.
"Sophie has been an extraordinary leader and ambassador for the White Ferns, Supporting her move to a casual playing agreement will allow her to continue contributing to the White Ferns environment. Her legacy as one of the game's greatest allrounders and her commitment to nurturing the next generation makes this a positive step for both her and the White Ferns" Weenink said.
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