Veteran England batter Tammy Beaumont has confirmed that she will be retiring from international cricket after the one-off historic Test match against India at Lord’s. Beaumont holds several major records under her belt and will bow out as one of the finest English batters in women’s cricket.
Beaumont was the Player of the Tournament in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2017, having been the leading run-scorer as England won the tournament. She appeared in 260 international matches for England after making her debut in 2009, and the one-off Lord’s Test will be her 261st international.
โPlaying for England for nearly 17 years has been the greatest honour. When I fell in love with playing cricket as a young girl, I barely knew that playing cricket for England was an option, and it brings me so much joy to think how many girls and boys have been inspired, this summer especially, and how far the game has come in our country,”ย Beaumont said announcing her retirement.
“We’ve always wanted to take the cap forward for the next generation and the time has come for me to hand over that privilege to the next generation of England players. This Test match at Lordโs โ our first ever womenโs Test at Lordโs โ feels like the perfect occasion to sign off on a career that I could never have dreamt would be as special as it has been.”
Beaumont, however, stated that she will continue playing in the domestic circuit. “I will still be playing domestic cricket, but I’d like to thank all the fans for your amazing support. Iโd also like to say thank you to all the coaches and support staff who I’ve worked with over the years, to my teammates who I’ve shared so many amazing moments with, and to my friends and family – I couldn’t have got this far without your love and support all these years,” she said.
Meanwhile, Clare Connor, managing director of England Women, heaped praise on the veteran batter. “Tammy has made a remarkable contribution to the England Womenโs cricket team, and we will miss her incredibly.
“It is impossible to put into words or measure the impact Tammy has had on our sport. She played her first few years for England as an amateur, one of only a few players left whose international careers were forged through extraordinary levels of devotion and commitment and love of the game.ย
“She was in the group of 18 players who were the first to receive an England Womenโs Central Contract in 2015 and by 2017, she was named Player of the Tournament in the home ICC Womenโs Cricket World Cup. The weight of runs she went on to score for England at the top of the order has put her in the category of one of the gameโs great batters.”
ALSO READ |ย Anil Kumble calls Indian batting “abject surrender,” expresses disappointment over recent T20I loss