New Zealand Women's cricketer Amy Satterthwaite has announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday (May 26). New Zealand Cricket has confirmed the development after the veteran was not offered a central contract for the 2022-23 season.
Amy Satterthwaite made her debut in the shortest format in 2007 against Australia, and her ODI debut came just two days later against the same opposition. Despite getting out for a duck on her ODI debut, she finished with an excellent career in the format, where she scored 4639 runs.
"It is with a degree of sadness that I announce my retirement from international cricket," said Amy Satterthwaite. "It has been a tough few days after learning of NZC's decision to head in a new direction and contract some younger cricketers. I'm disappointed not to receive a contract and believe I still have more to offer; however, I respect NZC's decision and wish the White Ferns all the best as they embark on an exciting winter of cricket, including the Commonwealth Games," she added.
She took a break from international cricket in 2019 for the birth of her first child before returning to action in the following year.
"I'm immensely proud of my journey with the White Ferns and especially taking the time away to give birth to our daughter, Grace, before returning to play international cricket," she said. "I didn't know if I would ever make it back to the top level, and I hope my story can inspire other mums and mums-to-be that it is possible to follow your career dreams and start a family," she concluded.
On the other hand, NZC GM of High-Performance Cricket, Bryan Stronach, has congratulated Amy Satterthwaite on her incredible career and also confirmed that the team will be giving more opportunities to the youngsters in future.
"Amy will be remembered as one of our best cricketers; her record is outstanding, and she can feel really proud about what she has achieved - not just for herself and the team, but also for all the players she has inspired and enabled. We're looking to the future and want to give some younger cricketers a chance to develop their skills surrounded by our high-performance systems," Stronach said.
However, despite quitting international cricket, Amy Satterthwaite will continue to play for her domestic side Canterbury Magicians. She will also play in the Women's Hundred in August this year for Manchester Originals.