England’s star fast bowling sensation Katherine Brunt retired from Test cricket on June 18. The 36-year-old will continue to play white-ball cricket for England.
Brunt, a right-arm medium-pace bowler, featured in 14 Tests for England between 2004 and 2022. In 25 Test innings, she scalped 51 wickets, which is the highest for any England woman cricketer in Tests. She accounted for three five-wicket hauls and one four-wicket haul. Her best bowling figures of 111/9 in a Test match came against England’s Ashes rivals, Australia in 2005. She averaged 21.52 and had an economy rate of 2.52 runs per over.
Apart from her bowling, she made useful contributions with the bat in the longest format of the game. The right-handed batter mustered 184 runs in 18 Test innings, including one half-century and the best of 52. Her best batting and bowling figures in Test cricket came in the same match against Australia in August 2005 in Worcester. She won the player of the match for her all-round performance, helping her side regain the Ashes for the first time since 1963.
At the time of announcing her retirement, Brunt said, “I feel like as an athlete there is never an obvious time to step away from doing the thing that you love but over the past two years thoughts of retirement have surfaced more and more, so I’ve decided to make a smart decision rather than an emotional one. Test cricket is my absolute passion and to retire from this format was truly a heart-breaking choice to make but it allows me to prioritise white-ball cricket.”
Katherine Brunt 😞 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/GYLP3nPUjC
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 18, 2022
Jonathan Finch, Director of England Women’s cricket, said, “Katherine’s passion and commitment was never more evident than when she played Test cricket for England. You only need to watch the last Ashes Test to see her desire, her heart and her undoubted ability with the red ball in hand. She has given everything for England Women in Test cricket and we are fully supportive of her decision to focus on white-ball cricket on the international stage. Katherine can leave the red ball behind knowing she is a true legend in that form of the game and that she has set standards that future generations can only aspire to.”
Quotes are sourced from Sky Sports
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I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.