Katherine Brunt, star England all-rounder, on Saturday announced her retirement from Test cricket. The 36-year-old, who made her red-ball debut in 2004, represented the the Three Lions for 18 years. 

Announcing her decision, Brunt said that she wants to focus on white-ball cricket. She will not be a part of England’s one-off Test against South Africa later this month. However, the player remains available for white-ball selection. 

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“I feel like as an athlete there is never an obvious time to step away from doing the thing that you love. But over the past two years thoughts of retirement have surfaced more and more, so I’ve decided to make a smart decision rather than an emotional one. Test cricket is my absolute passion and to retire from this format was truly a heart-breaking choice to make, but it allows me to prioritise white-ball cricket,” Brunt said. 

Who is Katherine Brunt? 

Brunt is currently England Women’s highest international wicket-taker. She has 167 scalps, across formats, against her name. 

She married her fellow teammate Nat Sciver, the first cricketer for England to take a hat-trick in a Women’s T20I match, earlier this month. The two got engaged back in October 2019. 

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The 36-year-old represented Yorkshire at the under-15 and under-17 level. She is primarily a  right-arm fast bowler who can bat in the lower order. 

Brunt has won two World Cups with England and has been named the England’s Women’s cricketer of the year four times. She made her Test debut in 2004 and played her maiden ODI and T20I in 2005. 

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She has played 14 Test matches, taking 51 wickets at an average of 21.52. Katherine Brunt’s red-ball wicket tally is ninth in the all-time list. Her best came in the 2005 Ashes, when the pacer helped England win the trophy after 42 years. She took nine wickets and scored a half-century. Her last appearance in the whites came against Australia, when she claimed a five-for.