Lydia Greenway retires from international cricket

England’s women cricketer Lydia Greenway had decided to hang her boots from international cricket with immediate effect, an England and Wales Cricket Board statement declared on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old middle order batsman is one of the finest fielders in women’s game. She was named Women Cricketer of the year for 2010 on 1 June 2011.

She is considered to be the best player after Charlotte Edwards in the side, who had retired few weeks back. Lydia made her international debut against Australia at Gabba in the Ashes in 2003. She represented England in 14 Tests, 126 One-Day Internationals, and 85 Twenty20 Internationals.

“During recent discussions with Mark Robinson (England women’s team coach) about his focus on developing new players against Pakistan this summer, it became clear that my involvement with the England team might be limited moving forwards,” Greenway said in a statement. “While in the past I have been in a similar position and have fought for my place, I now feel that at this stage in my life, it’s time to take a step back and retire from international cricket with immediate effect, allowing the next generation of players to develop on the world stage.”

Also Read: England women’s team skipper Charlotte Edwards retires from all forms

Lydia has scored over 4000 runs in the international arena. She was a member of the team which retained the Ashes on tour in Australia in 2008 and won the World Cup and World T20 Championship in 2009.

“I feel extremely privileged to have represented England for 13 years, and I am very proud of what I have personally achieved during this time,” she said. “However, the success of the team and the people I have played with is what will make the memories so special. The double World Cup victories in 2009 was an amazing period for the team, and I will be right behind the girls as they pursue another World Cup win on home soil next year.

“I’d like to thank the ECB for getting the women’s game to where it is now, all the coaches I have worked with, my teammates, and most importantly my family and friends for their unconditional support throughout my international career.”

She will continue to play in the domestic cricket and for the Southern Vipers in Kia Super League alongside Kent in the Royal London Women’s One-Day Championship.