Katherine Brunt retires from regional and county cricket | ‘I don’t want to hold those girls back!’ | Cricket News

Katherine Brunt is retiring from regional and county cricket, but will continue to play for Trent Rockets in The Hundred this summer.

The fast bowler has decided she will not play for the Northern Diamonds and Yorkshire but is expected to continue playing for England.

“I have played some games over the last few seasons, but it’s been two or three max per year because that’s all the schedule has allowed,” she said.

“There has been a time when I’ve been injured and not fully fit and I’ve played just as a batter. But if I’ve been fully fit, it’s only been for two or three games.

“That goes for most of the players who play all three formats for England.”

Brunt won the Championship with Yorkshire in 2015 and will be in South Africa with England for next month’s T20 World Cup.

She last played county cricket in 2019 and has played just eight times for the Northern Diamonds across the first three years of regional cricket.

Brunt has won the Ashes, ODI and T20 World Cups with England and has taken 231 international wickets in 162 matches.

She is England’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs (170) and T20s (110) for England, with a further 51 Test dismissals to her name.

‘There’s so much young talent in the Diamonds set-up’

Brunt retired from Test cricket in June 2022 and has not played ODI cricket since July last year and said that she is retiring from regional and domestic cricket to allow younger players to come through.

“I don’t want to take up someone’s place in the team. I wouldn’t think that’s fair when there’s so much good young talent in that Diamonds set-up.

“Being around these girls, I’ve seen them come through and have championed them. I don’t want to be opening the bowling for Yorkshire, or the Diamonds, when someone like a Lizzie Scott is absolutely capable of doing it and needs to get herself out there.

“I don’t want to hold those girls back just because I’m someone who walks into the team because I need the practice.

“That makes it hard for a coach who needs to develop their young players who will be needed for crunch time in finals when I’m not available.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done, and I can still train and do what I need to do to prepare for competitions such as The Hundred. It just seems the right time.”