“I’m immensely proud to have worn the fern so many times,” said Suzie Bates. “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.”
Bates will retire from international cricket after the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England. This marks the end of her remarkable 20-year career with the White Ferns. She is the all-time leading run-scorer in Women’s T20 Internationals with 4,717 runs and ranks fourth in Women’s ODIs with 5,964 runs.
During her career, Bates captained the national side on 151 occasions. She was appointed WHITE FERNS captain in July 2011 and led the team for nearly seven years. In 2013, she was crowned ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Geoff Allott recently took over as chief executive of New Zealand Cricket. “Geoff brings a rare and highly-relevant combination of attributes to the role,” said Diana Puketapu-Lyndon. Allott represented New Zealand in 10 tests and 31 ODIs between 1996 and 2000.
The White Ferns will play an ODI series in England that includes matches in Durham, Northampton, and Cardiff. Flora Devonshire, Nensi Patel, Emma McLeod, and Izzy Sharp will make their first international tour with the team.
“We’ve got some exciting young talent in this squad,” said Ben Sawyer. He highlighted players like Emma and Izzy alongside seasoned campaigners like Bates.
The squad for the T20 leg series and subsequent T20 World Cup will be named on Wednesday. The White Ferns are set to play a warm-up match against an ECB development XI on May 6.
As Bates prepares to step away from international competition, her impact on women’s cricket is undeniable. Melie Kerr praised her contributions: “Suzie really is one of the greatest cricketers of all time.”
