New Zealand captain Sophie Devine retired from One Day Internationals after she played her final match on Sunday during the ongoing Women’s World Cup.

The 36-year-old played her 159th and final ODI against England at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam in which she scored 23 off 35 balls and picked up one wicket.

She was given a guard of honour by England and New Zealand players after the English wrapped up an eight-wicket win.

“Not to make it about myself but we wanted to go out on a high, but that didn’t happen today. Credit to England. I actually didn’t cry as much as I thought I would. Good thing about announcing retirement so early meant that I had time to deal with those emotions. It wasn’t about the result today but just finish it off with my mates. I’m just so humbled that I have been able to do this for 19 years,” Devine said after the match.

She made her ODI debut on October 22, 2006 against Australia and since then, has scored 4279 runs in the format.

In ODIs, she has scored nine centuries — her ninth ton came during the ongoing World Cup — and her highest individual score remains her 131-ball 145 against South Africa during the 2013 World Cup, also in India.

With the ball, she has taken 111 wickets. Her best bowling figures stands at three for 24 which came during West Indies’ tour of New Zealand in 2018.

Devine is also the only Kiwi player, third overall, to score 4000+ runs and take 100+ wickets in the format.

Devine, who has been captain since 2020, led New Zealand to T20 World Cup glory last year in Dubai.

“It feels like the right time for me to start stepping away,” she had said in June, announcing that the World Cup would her final hurrah in the format.

Devine, who will remain available to play T20Is, took a break from international cricket earlier this year to prioritise her mental health, having taken two months out in 2021 for similar reasons.

Published on Oct 26, 2025