New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) New Zealand captain Sophie Devine says she is determined to savour every moment of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, which will be her final appearance in one-day internationals.

The 36-year-old all-rounder confirmed she will retire from ODIs following the tournament in India and Sri Lanka, bringing down the curtain on a glittering international career that has lasted nearly twenty years.

“I feel in a really good space to go out and enjoy every moment of my last World Cup,” Devine told ICC Media. “That is something I am really proud of, to be in a space now where I feel so comfortable and confident in my own abilities but also to lead this team with a lot of pride. Everyone knows how passionate I am about the White Ferns and New Zealand Cricket. That is something that has never changed from the 17-year-old who first played to now — my love for the team hasn’t wavered. If anything, it has probably grown over time.”

Reflecting on her long journey, Devine said: “It is crazy to think nearly 20 years have passed and to think how much I’ve grown. Not just as a player, which has been pretty obvious — I have filled lots of different positions in this White Ferns team – but more importantly the person I have become.”

She said that passing on knowledge to the next generation has been one of the most rewarding parts of her career. “We want everyone to get better, and we look out for each other. It doesn’t matter what team I’m playing for; I want to make myself and my teammates better. Seeing where it has come from and even how quickly it has changed over the past couple of years, the potential for the women’s game is limitless. To be able to help where I can and help grow the game is what makes the women’s cricket environment so special.

“Being able to share that excitement with younger players is a really rewarding part of the game. When my time is up, I will be the biggest fan, watching the game and how it continues to evolve.”

Devine is hopeful the White Ferns can replicate their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 and give her a fairytale send-off in the 50-over format. “It has certainly given us confidence, but we know this is a different format, it’s a new tournament so everyone starts back on zero. It was pretty well documented that we didn’t have the greatest run of results leading into the T20 World Cup, but we had such a strong belief in the group that we were doing the right things behind closed doors. It taught us a lot of resilience and winning that World Cup proved to us that we have the ability to beat anyone in the world.

“As always, us Kiwis are pretty happy to fly under the radar. The ones in the room are the ones we care about the most. The great thing about the World Cup, compared to when I look back at the start of my career, is that anyone can win this tournament. It’s a really exciting place to be.”

New Zealand, who won their only ODI World Cup back in 2000, open their campaign against defending champions Australia in Indore on Day 2 of the tournament.

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu.

–IANS

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