Sophie Devine refutes retirement claims, aims to win women’s T20 World Cup

A month prior to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine announced her decision to step down as T20I captain after the tournament. She assured to continue as a player, but multiple media outlets reported that the New Zealand international may eventually announce retirement, particularly from T20Is after the mega tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing those reports ahead of White Ferns’ first game against India, Devine stated that she has no plans to retire but wants more youngsters to come into the set-up. The 35-year-old mentioned that after she announced to step down as T20I captain, she got the time to reflect back on her career and is grateful for the opportunities. The Wellington-born cricketer is also happy to see the growth of women’s cricket in the last few years but reminded that the goal right now is to lift the T20 World Cup trophy.

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“Oh, look, I think everyone wants to win this World Cup, so that's certainly the goal for everyone here. And it's no different for me. I'd love to be able to lift the trophy with this bunch of players. And it has been a little bit weird, if I'm being honest. I mean, I'm not retiring or anything. It's just stepping down as the T20 captain. But it certainly has made me reflect on, I guess, my career and the opportunities that I've had,” Devine said in the pre-match press conference.

“Thinking back to the first one, 2009, which probably shows my age, but to see the growth of the women's game is something that I'm incredibly proud of and have been lucky to be a part of. But I think it's really nice, again, and this is probably where the youngsters help is that my energy and my focus is on this tournament right now. I'm sure after this event I'll be able to reflect and celebrate what's been but certainly, at the moment my focus is on this on this tournament and more importantly on our game tomorrow,” Devine added.

Meanwhile, New Zealand defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the first warm-up game. However, they suffered a five-wicket defeat against England in the second warm-up game. Devine meanwhile scored 59 runs in these two matches.