Veteran Irish player has decided to retire after playing for 13 years for the Irish National team.
Irish wicket-keeper batter Mary Waldron was going to retire after playing the 3rd ODI against Australia, but an injury made it impossible to achieve. Mary made her debut for the Irish team in 2010 against New Zealand in a one-off ODI match at Kibworth, England. Mary had a debut to forget as she was dismissed on a duck. Mary donned the Irish Jersey a total of 144 times. She also captained her country 10 times.
Mary played a total of 88 T20I matches for Ireland, scoring 531 runs from 61 innings at an average of 11.54 and a strike rate of 80.21. 55 was her highest score in the shortest format of the game, which she scored against West Indies. She made her T20I debut against Sri Lanka in ICC Women’s Cricket Twenty-20 Challenge. She remained not out on 3 runs in that match. Ireland lost that match by just 10 runs.
Mary was a part of the ODI team for a total of 56 matches, accumulating a total of 481 runs from 44 innings at an average of 13. Her highest score in the format was 42 against South Africa.
Mary Waldron announced her retirement from cricket after a great career 🙌🏻
Wishing her the best of luck in all her future endeavours ❤️#CricketTwitter #IREvAUS 📸: Getty pic.twitter.com/AdXWbIqNdx
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) July 28, 2023
The wicket-keeper also inflicted a total of 111 dismissals throughout her career. The 39-year-old player said that she is very proud of what she has achieved in her 13-year career.
She further said that “It’s obviously a very emotional time but I’m very proud of what I have achieved, I want to say a huge thank you to staff and coaches at Cricket Ireland for the opportunity to represent my country, and to Pembroke and Malahide for shaping my journey and supporting me all the way.”
She also thanked her family saying, “To my family and Roxane, thank you for your support – and giving me a roof over my head whenever I needed it. More specifically, to Mum and Dad the best supporters in the world – thank you for everything.”
She later thanked her teammates and said that she can’t wait to follow their journey in the upcoming years.
Ireland Women’s head coach, Ed Joyce said, “Being someone who came relatively late to cricket, it’s incredible how she learned quickly, and how insightful and incisive she became, Not only did she lead the side on 10 occasions, but her on-field support for the captain from behind the stumps became increasingly important. Her ability to read the game, quickly analyse a situation, or spot a fielding change was welcomed by successive captains”
The coach also said that Mary was a player who you always want in your team, further adding that she was a leader on and off the field.
Ireland Captain Laura Delany and Mary Waldron both made their debut in the same match. The Irish captain said, “As a senior player within the international squad, Mary has been an invaluable support and sounding-board to me while I’ve been in the captaincy.
“To have a great wicketkeeper in your side is an asset – but to also have a great analytical brain being able to assess circumstances of the game from behind the stumps is a godsend, and I know she has helped me to become a better leader through our many on-field and off-field conversations.”
Mary was not just an excellent cricketer, but in fact, she even excelled in football too. She made her debut for the Ireland Football team way before even debuting for Ireland in cricket. She made her international senior team debut against Faroe Islands in 2004.
In 2015, Mary Waldron got interested in umpiring while playing for Tasmania. 3 years later she became the first woman umpire in a men’s list A game.
(Quotes sourced from BBC)
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