• William Porterfield retires from international cricket.
• Porterfield also had spells with Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.
• Andrew Balbirnie says Porterfield will be a huge loss.

Former Ireland captain William Porterfield announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, calling time on a 16-year career during which the team has progressed from an amateur side to a Test-playing nation.

The 37-year-old left-handed batter led Ireland in a remarkable 253 games across all formats, a span that included two 50-over World Cups and five T20 World Cups as well as the Irish men’s inaugural Test, against Pakistan in May 2018.

Porterfield, who also had spells with English county clubs Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, compiled 18 hundreds for Ireland, including 107 against Pakistan in Adelaide at the 2015 World Cup.

“It’s been an honour to represent my country for 16 years,” said Porterfield. “It’s something I had always wanted to do since I was a child.

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“During my career, we’ve gone from an amateur team right through to now being a Test nation…. All I ever wanted to do was leave the shirt in a better place and leave the team in a better place, and hopefully I’ve played a part in doing that.”

Porterfield, who will take up a coaching role with Gloucestershire, played his last international in January at Jamaica’s Sabina Park.

That ground that holds a special place in Irish cricket history as it was the scene of their shock 2007 World Cup victory over Pakistan.

“It’s the ground where a lot of people say put Irish cricket on the map,” he said.

“That ground holds so many memories for me, right through from the Pakistan win in 2007 to walking off the field back in January having beaten the West Indies 2-1.”

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Andrew Balbirnie, the current Ireland captain, said Porterfield would be “a huge loss.”

“William has been an amazing person to have in the dressing room, as a player and as a person,” he added.