Lea Tahuhu announces retirement from ODI cricket

Seasoned New Zealand seamer Lea Tahuhu has announced her retirement from Women's ODI cricket.

Tahuhu, 35, brings an end to a 15-year career, finishing with 125 wickets, a record for the New Zealand Women's ODI team. She was capped 103 times, having made her debut in June 2011, against Australia.

Tahuhu featured in four Women's ODI World Cups (2013, 2017, 2022 and 2025), with their fixture against England in last year's edition being her final ODI. In World Cups alone, she picked up 36 wickets, a record for New Zealand, and the ninth best on the all-time charts.

"It's always been a privilege and honour to pull on the WHITE FERNS shirt in ODI cricket," Tahuhu said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket.

"To get one game was an amazing feeling. To have been able to wear the shirt and represent my country and my family over 100 times in ODI cricket is something I never could have dreamt of.

"I'll treasure every moment and walk away from the ODI game incredibly proud of what I've been able to achieve in the format."

She will continue to play Women's T20Is, having last featured in the format in March 2025. According to New Zealand Cricket, she will be part of the T20I squad set to face South Africa later this month. A member of the title-winning squad in 2024, she will be eyeing an encore later this year.

"Winning the T20 World Cup in 2024 was a huge achievement and I'm really motivated to be over in England later this year to help this team defend our title," she added.