Disappointing, wanted to go out on a high: Emotional Sophie Devine bids farewell to game

VIZAG: New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said she was “disappointed” not to end her illustrious international career on a winning note, but expressed immense pride in witnessing the evolution of women’s cricket over nearly two decades.

Devine bid a quiet farewell as New Zealand suffered an eight-wicket defeat to England in their final group-stage match of the tournament.

“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 said announcing her retirement earlier had helped her process her emotions ahead of her final 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.”

Devine said it was 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 said she was optimistic about the young talent emerging through the ranks.

“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.”

Devine said she was proud of how far the women’s game had come since her debut and urged 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,” she said.

“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.”

England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt praised her team’s performance, calling the win a complete team effort that reinforced their confidence ahead of the semi-finals.

“Really wanted to put in a performance today. The ways that we’ve gone about cricket in this tournament have been largely successful, so happy to put in that performance,” Sciver-Brunt said.

Batting in the middle order, she said conditions required a proactive approach.

“Being proactive with the bat in the middle order — conditions played a part today. With the ball, it was about reaffirming plans and making sure execution was high. In the field, it was about keeping the energy up and showing how much we care,” she added.

Providing an update on Sophie Ecclestone, who left the field during the match, Sciver-Brunt said the move was precautionary.

“Don’t know anything further but it was a precaution with a huge match coming up. Wouldn’t want to risk anything,” she said.

She lauded Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley for their contributions and reserved special praise for opener Amy Jones, who anchored England’s chase with a composed innings.

“Jones was brilliant. Started off with a brilliant opening partnership. Felt it was easier to play when the ball was hard, and Amy being there at the end was the best thing — we can take that confidence into the semi,” she said.

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