New Zealand All-Rounder Suzie Bates to Retire After T20 World Cup
New Zealand all-rounder Suzie Bates has announced she will retire from international cricket following the conclusion of this year's Women's T20 World Cup, concluding a distinguished 20-year career at the international level.
The 38-year-old will be included in the White Ferns' 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup scheduled from 12 June to 5 July in England. In addition to the tournament, the team will compete in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals against England next month.
Bates, a right-handed opening batter, holds the record as the all-time leading run-scorer in women's Twenty20 internationals with 4,717 runs. She ranks fourth on the ODI run charts and has also taken 145 wickets in international cricket. Furthermore, she holds the record for the most catches in women's international cricket.
"When I look back on the past 20-plus years, I can't quite believe how quickly the time has gone," said Bates, who was also part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team.
"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, team-mate, cricketer, and athlete for this team.
"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: From Olympic Basketballer to Commonwealth Games Cricketer
Bates made her international debut for New Zealand against India in 2006. She was appointed captain in 2011 and led the White Ferns in 151 matches over a seven-year period.
Current White Ferns captain Melie Kerr described Bates as her "role model" and "one of the greatest cricketers of all time."
"She's paved the way for a long time in women's cricket, and what she's done for cricket, the women's game, and sport in New Zealand, she should be very proud of," Kerr added.
Bates was named the leading female player in the world by Wisden in 2015 and has twice received the International Cricket Council's women's ODI cricketer of the year award, in 2013 and 2016.
She was player of the tournament at the 2013 World Cup held in India. In addition to her cricketing achievements, Bates represented New Zealand in basketball, including competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
