New Zealand women’s cricketer Amy Satterthwaite announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday (May 26) after New Zealand Cricket (NZC) decided not to award her a central contract.
Amy Satterthwaite announced her retirement
Satterthwaite retires having played the most ODIs of any New Zealand female player (145) and having scored the second-most runs (4639) in 50-over cricket for her country.
The 35-year-old also holds the joint record with Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara for most consecutive ODI centuries (four), following her scintillating run with the bat over 2016/17 summer.
While disappointed to lose her contract, Satterthwaite said she could understand why the decision was made.
“It is with a degree of sadness that I announce my retirement from international cricket,” said Satterthwaite.
“It has been a tough few days after learning of NZC’s decision to head in a new direction and contract some younger cricketers.
I’m disappointed not to be receiving a contract and believe I still had more to offer, however, I respect NZC’s decision and I wish the White Ferns all the best as they embark on an exciting winter of cricket, including the Commonwealth Games.”
The hard-hitting all-rounder, who made her international debut in 2007 and captained her country in 2018 and 2019, scored 4,639 runs in 145 ODIs at an average of 38.33, and another 1,784 for her country in Twenty20 matches.
“I’m immensely proud of my journey with the White Ferns and especially taking the time away to give birth to our daughter, Grace, before returning to play international cricket,” she said.
“I didn’t know if I would ever make it back to the top level and I hope my story can inspire other mums and mums-to-be that it is possible to follow your career dreams and start a family.”
NZC GM of High-Performance Cricket, Bryan Stronach, congratulated Satterthwaite on her outstanding career and confirmed that the team will be handing out opportunities to the younger players moving forward.
“Amy will be remembered as one of our best cricketers; her record is outstanding, and she can feel really proud about what she has achieved – not just for herself and the team, but also for all the players she has inspired and enabled,” he said.
“Essentially, we’re looking to the future and want to give some younger cricketers a chance to develop their skills surrounded by our high-performance systems.”
Despite quitting international cricket, Satterthwaite plans to spend more time with her family during retirement but will continue playing at the domestic level with the Canterbury Magicians in New Zealand and Manchester Originals in the Women’s Hundred in August.
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