Katherine Brunt: England bowler retires from Test cricket
- Published
Brunt has taken 51 wickets in Test cricket at an average of 21.52
England bowler Katherine Brunt says she has made the "heart-breaking choice" to retire from Test cricket to "prioritise" the white-ball game.
Brunt, 36, made her Test debut in 2004 and has taken 51 wickets in 14 matches.
She helped England win the Ashes for the first time in 42 years in 2005.
"Over the past two years thoughts of retirement surfaced more and more, so I've decided to make a smart decision rather than an emotional one," said Brunt, whose last Test was in January.
"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 retires as England's third highest wicket-taker, having enjoyed the tenth-longest Test career in the history of women's cricket.
In 2005, in just her third Test, she helped England retain the Ashes for the first time since 1963, taking nine wickets and scoring 52 runs.
In her last Test for England, Brunt took eight wickets and recorded the third five-wicket haul of her career in a drawn Ashes match.
She has won two 50-over World Cups and one T20 World Cup, and will continue to play one-day internationals and T20 cricket for England.
In the white-ball game, Brunt has taken 167 wickets in 140 ODIs and 98 wickets in 96 T20 internationals.
Jonathan Finch, England Women's cricket director, said Brunt had "given everything" for the Test team and she leaves "knowing she is a true legend in that form of the game and that she has set standards that future generations can only aspire to".
England host South Africa this summer but will have to find a new opening bowling pair, with Brunt's long-time team-mate Anya Shrubsole announcing her retirement in April.
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