Thank you, Suzie, Sophie and Lea: New Zealand cricket legends retire

During the second innings of the White Ferns game against England at the weekend, a heavy shower descended over The Oval in South London and as the players left the field, a rainbow appeared above the ground. It seemed significant on the night that three legends of New Zealand cricket left the international stage, because the pot of gold that Lea Tahuhu, Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates brought to the game of cricket is one that will be lovingly remembered for generations to come.

When the action resumed again, it was England that had the win, chasing down the target of 164 with nine wickets in hand and 16 balls to spare. It was a result that saw the White Ferns miss out on a semi-final spot, after winning just two of their group games, but the reviews into that will follow in due course. For now, it’s time to reflect on three players who have done so much for every side they represented and are genuine greats of the game.

Their stature in the sport certainly wasn’t lost on the England players and their support staff, who set up a guard of honour for all three players as they departed one of the most famous grounds in world cricket, in front of a record breaking 21,018 supporters, the highest attendance for a women’s T20 World Cup group match. Bates and Devine stayed in London and attended the most famous ground of them all, Lord’s, less than 24 hours later, as the Marylebone Cricket Club announced that they had accepted their offer to become honorary life members of MCC, one of the highest honours a cricketer can have bestowed on them.

Starting as a batter at the age of eight, Tahuhu would go on to become arguably the fastest women’s bowler in the world. Now 35, she burst into the Canterbury team as a teenager in the 2008-09 season and made her White Ferns debut as a 20-year-old in an ODI against Australia in Brisbane in 2011. With New Zealand batting first, Tahuhu came out at number 11 and with her side struggling at 164-9, she hit 11 runs off 12 balls, smashing two boundaries as she showed some of the spirit, power and attacking intent that would define her game over the next 15 years. Minutes later it was Tahuhu that grabbed the new ball from captain Aimee Watkins, taking her first international wicket in just the fourth over, bowling one of Australia’s best ever, Meg Lanning.

From there, she consistently appeared for the White Ferns, playing a total of 103 ODIs and 104 T20Is. With 125 ODI wickets, she has the second most of any New Zealander (behind Melie Kerr) and her 100 T20I wickets are the third most for her country (behind Kerr and Devine). As well as years playing for her beloved Canterbury, she also made her mark overseas, playing for the Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder in Australia’s Big Bash League, as well as English sides such as Surrey, Lancashire, and in 2022, the Manchester Originals in The Hundred. Injuries come with the territory for a fast bowler however, and Tahuhu had more than her fair share over the years. But in 2021, she also suffered a serious injury but managed to return.