Wellington, April 23 (IANS) New Zealand great Suzie Bates has decided to retire from international cricket after this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, New Zealand Cricket announced on Thursday. Bates will hang up her boots following this year’s T20 World Cup that commences in England and Wales on June 12, where the 38-year-old will get her final chance to add to her current tally of 362 international appearances for her country.

Reflecting on a wonderful career, Bates told New Zealand Cricket, “When I look back on the past twenty-plus years, I can’t quite believe how quickly the time has gone. I’m immensely proud to have worn the fern so many times, and I’ve been filled with enormous purpose and joy in striving each day to be a better person, teammate, cricketer, and athlete for this team.

“Words can’t truly express my gratitude to all my teammates and coaches along the way. I have one final mission: to head to the UK – a place that holds so many special memories for me – and win another World Cup,” Suzie Bates was quoted as saying by New Zealand Cricket.

Bates has scored a whopping 14 centuries across all formats and taken 145 wickets. The all-rounder will leave the game with one of the most impressive resumes in recent times, having consistently performed at the highest level for her country since making her debut against India in Lincoln back in 2006.

Bates will retire as New Zealand’s highest-ever run scorer in women’s cricket across all formats, and only Australian great Meg Lanning (15) and India opener Smriti Mandhana (14) can boast to have scored more ODI centuries than the 13 she has managed in 50-over cricket.

Her best ODI score of 168 came against Pakistan at the 2009 edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, while she also reached triple figures against the same opposition at the 2022 edition of the tournament on home soil.

While best known for her batting skills most regularly at the top of the batting order, Bates has also excelled with the ball across the majority of her career and especially at a younger age, with the medium-pacer having picked up four-wicket hauls at both ODI and T20I level in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

Bates enjoyed a stint as captain of New Zealand between 2011 and 2018 and was perhaps at the peak of her powers in 2013 when she was adjudged the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, having dominated the World Cup in India when she finished as the leading run-scorer.

She was also named the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year and ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2016 following a dominant period in bilateral cricket in both formats.

Bates has also filled in as captain in recent times when regular skipper and long-time friend Sophie Devine has been sidelined, with her crowning moment from a team perspective arriving at the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup when New Zealand claimed the title for the first time, and the right-hander finished as the equal leading run-scorer for her side.

The New Zealand legend will be aiming to help her side to back-to-back T20 World Cup trophies when the 20-over showcase commences in June, with the White Ferns drawn in Group B alongside hosts England, Ireland, Scotland, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies.

–IANS

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