London, July 8 (IANS) Veteran England batter Tammy Beaumont on Wednesday said she will retire from international cricket at the conclusion of the upcoming Test match against India at Lord’s. The end of her 17-year international career will coincide with the first-ever women’s Test match to be played at the iconic venue.
Tammy, who made her international debut in 2009, walks away as one of the modern-day greats of the women’s game, having represented England in 260 matches across all formats and amassed 7,325 runs overall. She retires as England’s leading centurion in ODIs, with 12 hundreds to her name.
She was the architect of England’s historic ICC Women’s ODI World Cup triumph on home soil in 2017, where she was named the Player of the Tournament after finishing as the leading run-scorer with 410 runs.
“Playing 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 about how many girls and boys have been inspired, this summer especially, and how far the game has come in our country.
“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 Lord’s – our first ever women’s Test at Lord’s – 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,” said Tammy in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Tammy, 35, is also one of only two women from England, and the fifth overall, to score an international century in all three formats of the game. In 2023, she became the first Englishwoman to score a Test double-century, smashing a memorable 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge during the Women’s Ashes.
She also revealed that she will continue to play for The Blaze in domestic cricket and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred. “I will still be playing domestic cricket, but I’d like to thank all the fans for your amazing support.
“I’d 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 added.
Clare Connor, Managing Director of England Women, lauded Tammy’s immense impact on the sport, where she went from playing in the amateur era to becoming a fully contracted professional.
“Tammy has made a remarkable contribution to the England Women’s 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, commitment, and love of the game.
“She was in the group of 18 players who were the first to receive an England Women’s Central Contract in 2015, and by 2017, she was named Player of the Tournament in the home ICC Women’s 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 game’s great batters.
“I know how much it has meant to Tammy to pull on the three lions and to help England win. She has always remained connected to the grassroots of the game, which is why she herself started playing. In so doing, she has been a wonderful role model, always wanting to inspire the next generation.
“Always smiling, always fun, and always team-first, Tammy should be so proud of a stellar international career, and we wish her every success and happiness as she leaves the England dressing room,” she concluded.
–IANS
nr/bsk/
