Amy Satterthwaite announces retirement

Amy Satterthwaite, New Zealand’s most capped female cricketer, announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday (May 26).

Satterthwaite was not offered a core contract for the 2022-23 season, according to New Zealand Cricket.

In 2007, Satterthwaite made her T20I debut against Australia, and two days later, she made her ODI debut against the same opponents.

Despite being dismissed for a duck on her ODI debut, she went on to have a successful career in the format, scoring 4639 runs. She has seven century in total, four of which were hit in consecutive games.

Despite having a poor record with the bat in T20Is, Satterthwaite once had the greatest statistics by a New Zealander in the format when he took 6/17 against England.

“It is with regret that I announce my retirement from international cricket,” Satterthwaite said.

“After learning of NZC’s choice to go in a different route and hire some younger cricketers, it’s been a difficult few days.”

“I’m unhappy not to have been offered a contract because I felt I had more to give, but I accept NZC’s decision and wish the White Ferns the best of luck as they prepare for an exciting winter of cricket, which includes the Commonwealth Games.”

Satterthwaite, who captained New Zealand in 2018 and 2019, has 145 ODIs and 111 T20Is to his name. She took a year off from international cricket to give birth to her first child in 2019, before returning the following year.

“I’m incredibly pleased of my White Ferns adventure, particularly taking time off to give birth to our daughter, Grace, before returning to international cricket,” she said.

“I didn’t know if I’d ever make it back to the top level, and I hope my experience might inspire other mothers and mothers-to-be to believe that pursuing your job goals while starting a family is achievable.”

Bryan Stronach, NZC’s GM of High Performance Cricket, thanked Satterthwaite on her excellent career and confirmed that the team will continue to give younger players opportunity.

“Amy will go down in history as one of our best cricketers; her record is fantastic, and she should be very pleased of what she has accomplished – not just for herself and the team, but also for all the players she has inspired and empowered,” he said.

“Essentially, we’re looking to the future and want to provide some younger cricketers with the opportunity to develop their skills in an environment surrounded by our high-performance technologies.”

Despite her decision to retire from international cricket, Satterthwaite will continue to play for her local team, Caterbury Magicians.

She will also compete in the Women’s Hundred for Manchester Originals in August.