Suzie Bates to retire from international cricket after Women's T20 WC 2026

New Zealand batting legend Suzie Bates will retire from international cricket following this year's Women's T20 World Cup in England in June-July, ending a stellar 20-year career that began in March 2006 in an ODI against India in Lincoln.

"When I look back on the past twenty-plus years, I can't quite believe how quickly the time has gone," Bates said. "I'm immensely proud to have worn the fern so many times, and I've been filled with enormous purpose and joy in striving each day to be a better person, teammate, cricketer, and athlete for this team."

New Zealand's opening batter has a truckload of personal accolades, along with a T20 World Cup title from 2024, which she wishes to add to later this year. "I have one final mission: to head to the UK – a place that holds so many special memories for me – and win another World Cup."

With 5964 ODI runs, she is New Zealand's top-scorer in the format while in T20Is; no batter in the world has more than her current tally of 4717. Bates was also the first female cricketer to appear in 350 international matches and score 25,000 career runs (international and domestic).

Naturally, captaincy fell in her lap, as she led New Zealand for seven years from July 2011. In 2013, she was named the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year and bagged the title in both white-ball formats in 2016. Outside of cricketing achievements, Bates represented New Zealand in basketball at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Suzie really is one of the greatest cricketers of all time," New Zealand captain Melie Kerr said. "Growing up Suzie was my role model, and I was fortunate enough to make the team when she was captain. If you've ever been lucky enough to play alongside her you'll know that she's one of the most selfless cricketers in the world and one of the greatest teammates."

NZ Cricket's Head of Women's High Performance Development Liz Green also paid tribute: "It's hard to find the words for a player like Suzie. The women's game has been able to develop into what it is today because of players like her. She'll leave the game with a profound legacy and will continue to inspire the next generation of players for years to come."