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New Zealand captain Sophie Devine expressed disappointment at not ending her distinguished career with a win, but she took pride in witnessing the growth of women’s cricket throughout her journey. She appreciated the friendships and cherished memories built over nearly two decades in the sport. Devine quietly bid farewell to her career as New Zealand faced an eight-wicket loss to England in their final group-stage match of the tournament. She acknowledged she had hoped to “go out on a high” but praised the English side for their well-executed plans. “Disappointing. Not to make it about myself, I wanted to go out on a high and today’s performance wasn’t that. Credit to England, they stuck at it and did the job with the bat,” she said during the post-match presentation. The 36-year-old shared that announcing her retirement earlier helped her manage the emotions of her farewell match. “Actually didn’t cry as much as I thought I was going to. Great thing about announcing it was I was able to process emotions,” she said. “It was about enjoying it today and going back to the roots of 19 years ago and why I play.” ‘Finish With Suzie’ Devine found it particularly special to share the field one last time with long-time teammate and close friend Suzie Bates. “Nice to finish with Suzie Bates bowling down the other end, to share that was really special. We’ll celebrate in the changing room and have a few drinks tonight. They’ve shut up shop, so I don’t know, they’ve left me out to dry.” Reflecting on her team’s future, Devine expressed excitement about the emerging young talent. “Just confidence and belief. We spoke about it after the T20 WC win. When we play our best cricket, we can beat anyone in the world. Excited about the talent coming through. They’ve got such a high ceiling, it’s just self-belief and knowing their best is good enough.” ‘Growth Of The Game’ Devine took pride in the growth of the game since her debut and advised young players to enjoy the sport. “Incredible to think of the growth of the game, to see where it’s got to is almost unrecognisable. I’m so excited about that, to see how far it can grow. Sport teaches you a lot, we’re professional athletes and you’re judged on that but it’s so much bigger. To play alongside your mates, it’s so much more valuable and rewarding. Gives you perspective. Enjoy it while it lasts but realise cricket is just a game. Not fully done just yet so sure I’ll be annoying people around the grounds.” (With inputs from Agencies)
