"Devine made her New Zealand debut in October 2006, in an ODI and T20 series against Australia. Nineteen years later, still with the same open face and broad smile, she has played her final one-day international a losing affair against England neither side will polish up for the mantelpiece. The most memorable moment came at the end with the affectionate guard of honour given to Devine by both sides and the Maori tribute led by Melie Kerr and sung by her teary teammates as the stadium emptied."
"The big thing that stands out for me is her character, said Heather Knight. She's still probably the same character she was when she got in the team when she was 20, still that cheeky girl that has fun, but is a proper cricketer. She's one of the people that pushed the game forward in terms of how you take on different bowlers, she's someone that can hit the ball better than anyone in the women's game and she was doing that before everyone else was."
Sophie Devine debuted for New Zealand in October 2006 and retired from one-day internationals 19 years later after a final defeat to England. She received an affectionate guard of honour from both sides and a Maori tribute led by Melie Kerr as teammates sang while the stadium emptied. At 36 she remained New Zealand's leading scorer in the competition, finishing fifth on the league-stage leaderboard with 289 runs at an average of 57.80 despite two washed-out games. Career totals include 4,279 ODI runs, nine centuries, and 111 wickets, placing her among the few women with over 4,000 runs and 100 wickets. Teammates and opponents praise her character, attacking batting, and contribution to advancing the women's game.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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