England women’s cricket team fast-bowler Katherine Sciver-Brunt has announced her retirement from international cricket on Friday. The 37-year-old pacer had announced in February that T20 World Cup in South Africa would mark her last involvement with the national time while she took retirement from Test cricket last year.
Katherine is the sixth-most wicket-taker in women’s T20I cricket with 114 scalps in her 112-match career with an incredible economy rate of 5.57. She also comes in fifth position in the list of most number of wickets in women’s ODI cricket with 170 wickets at an average of 24. Overall, she took 335 wickets across all formats of the game.
"Well here I am, 19 years later, at the end of my international journey. I thought I’d never be able to reach this decision but I have and it’s been the hardest one of my life," Sciver-Brunt said in an official statement released by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Recommended For You
"I never had any dreams or aspirations to do what I’ve done, I only ever wished to make my family proud of me. And what I’ve achieved has gone way beyond that.
"I have so much to be thankful for, cricket has given me a purpose, a sense of belonging, security, many golden memories and best friends that will last a lifetime. Of the trophies and titles I could have wished to achieve, I have reached them all, but my greatest achievement is the happiness that I have found in Nat.
"It has been a huge honour representing England for so long and I’d like to thank all of the England cricket family past and present for making my time a special one. The supporters - you are awesome, without you we wouldn’t be able to do what it is that we love and the atmosphere you guys create is irreplaceable.
"The biggest thanks I have though goes to my family, they are my biggest fans and greatest support without which I wouldn’t have made this journey at all,” she said while announcing her retirement.
Since making her England debut in 2004, she was part of three World Cups and four Ashes-winning English team. Sciver-Brunt was one of the first 18 women’s players to hold an England Cricket Board (ECB) contract in April 2014. She was awarded Player of the Match in the 2009 T20 World Cup final for a fierce bowling spell of 3/6 in a victory over New Zealand.