Katherine Sciver-Brunt has led England Women in wickets in Twenty20 Internationals and One-Day Internationals, and she has won three World Cups and four Ashes series.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt, a right-arm bowler for England, announced her retirement on Friday. The right-handed pitcher made her England debut in 2004, and she went on to appear in 267 total matches for the national team. Katherine has taken 335 wickets in her career, making her one of the most successful bowlers in women’s cricket. Her 170 ODI wickets at an average of 24 rank her fifth all-time, and her success in the shorter format is a fitting complement to an already impressive ODI career.
During that time, Sciver-Brunt has led England Women in wickets taken in Twenty20 Internationals and One-Day Internationals and has won three World Cups and four Ashes series.
After 19 years of traveling the world, I’ve finally arrived. This is the most difficult choice I’ve ever had to make, and I really didn’t think I’d ever get here. In all honesty, all I ever wanted was for my loved ones to be pleased with my accomplishments. Sciver-Brunt added, “And what I’ve achieved has gone way beyond that” in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Cricket has given me so much: a community, a family, a sense of safety, countless priceless experiences, and lifelong friends. She continued, “I have won every award and title I could have hoped for, but the greatest accomplishment of my life is finding happiness with Nat.”
Thank you to everyone in the England cricket family, both past and present, for making my time with the team so memorable. The crowd, you guys are great, without you we wouldn’t be able to do what we love, and the energy you provide is unmatchable,” the right-arm seamer told the spectators.
However, she acknowledged that her family deserved the bulk of the credit for her success. “The biggest thanks I have goes to my family,” she stated.
“Katherine has contributed so much to cricket, and especially to women’s cricket. She has been an incredible example, sharing her life and her resources with us for nearly two decades. When a cricket player retires, his or her abilities, records, and honors should be celebrated. But Katherine’s contributions to cricket go well beyond those aspects. “Her most powerful impact has been through her human qualities — her passion to take our sport forward, her care for her teammates, and her desire to always come back better and stronger despite significant injury setbacks,” said Clare Connor, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, and England Women’s Managing Director. Connor was also Sciver-Brunt’s first England captain.
She has met and spent time with several young women and men who look up to her because of the time she has spent with fans, signing signatures, and taking pictures with them. Many of them will have grown up seeing Katherine play and been encouraged to take up the instrument themselves. Connor chimed up, “That’s an incredibly potent legacy; she should be so proud of it.”
Despite having stated her intention to retire from regional cricket, Sciver-Brunt will continue to compete in The Hundred.
