Alex Blackwell retires from international cricket
Wishing all the best to alexjoyblackwell, who has today announced her retirement from international cricket. She is Australia's most capped female cricketer, and has scored 5,250 runs.she will continue playing T20 league cricket.
Alex Blackwell has announced her decision to retire from international cricket after a 15-year run with Australia Women during which she played 12 Tests, 144 one-day internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals and became one of the most celebrated players in the world.
While Blackwell confirmed that she wanted to continue playing T20 cricket in the Women’s Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder, who she has led since the inaugural season when the team won the title, she will wind things up with New South Wales after a 17-year stint after leading the team in the final of the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League final against Western Australia next Saturday, 24 February.
She quits the game as the national team’s vice-captain and as the No. 5 batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings, with the selectors expected to name the squad for the tour of India in March, where the Australians are scheduled to play three ODIs and a triangular T20I series also involving England.
Blackwell, who made her international debut in an ODI against England in January 2003, scored her 5,000th international run during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and ended with 5,250 runs against her name – 444 in Tests, 3,492 in ODIs, and 1,314 in T20Is. She had three international centuries to her credit, all in ODIs, where she also scored 25 of her 30 international half-centuries.
Since making her international debut, Blackwell, whose identical twin Kate also represented Australia, has been a part of all 12 Tests Australia have played as well as 144 of the 165 ODIs and 95 of the 101 T20Is, making her the most capped Australia Women cricketer.
Now 34, Blackwell was part of her national team’s title runs in the 2005 and 2013 ICC Women’s World Cups and also led Australia to glory at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010. She was part of the teams that won the same tournament in 2012 and 2014 as well.
Calling Blackwell a “fierce competitor, hard-working and, far more often than not, a winner” and “a tremendous leader both at national and international level”, James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia CEO, went on to say, “We are very lucky to have had Alex and her twin sister Kate both represent Australia over a period of time, with the pair playing in many winning teams together at national and state level for New South Wales.
“There’s no doubt Alex will be missed but she should be incredibly proud of what she has achieved and the way she has competed on all stages, and we wish her all the best for the future ahead.”
At the time of making her decision to quit public, Blackwell said, “I think it is really nice to be able to finish when now when my game has never been stronger. I am also becoming increasingly interested and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead that may require my playing days to wrap up. I will continue to enjoy the opportunities that I have with Sydney Thunder. I have another year on my current contract and look forward to that opportunity.”
In 2015, Blackwell quit her job as a genetic counsellor to become one of Australia’s first full-time female players, and now hopes to return to the field. “Probably the number-one priority now is time with my family,” she said. “Outside of cricket I have always been interested in genetic counselling and look forward to re-entering the workforce in that regard and also leadership opportunities whether that be mentoring young leaders or being a leader myself in different areas.”
Blackwell has also been a very vocal advocate for gender equality and said she was proud of the role she had played in that regard as well as in terms of inclusion and diversity. She added that it was her “ability to continually evolve as a batter, in particular with the introduction of T20 cricket and my pursuit of excellence and mastery in batting” that made her the proudest.
While Blackwell confirmed that she wanted to continue playing T20 cricket in the Women’s Big Bash League for Sydney Thunder, who she has led since the inaugural season when the team won the title, she will wind things up with New South Wales after a 17-year stint after leading the team in the final of the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League final against Western Australia next Saturday, 24 February.
Blackwell, who made her international debut in an ODI against England in January 2003, scored her 5,000th international run during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 and ended with 5,250 runs against her name – 444 in Tests, 3,492 in ODIs, and 1,314 in T20Is. She had three international centuries to her credit, all in ODIs, where she also scored 25 of her 30 international half-centuries.
Now 34, Blackwell was part of her national team’s title runs in the 2005 and 2013 ICC Women’s World Cups and also led Australia to glory at the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010. She was part of the teams that won the same tournament in 2012 and 2014 as well.
“There’s no doubt Alex will be missed but she should be incredibly proud of what she has achieved and the way she has competed on all stages, and we wish her all the best for the future ahead.”
In 2015, Blackwell quit her job as a genetic counsellor to become one of Australia’s first full-time female players, and now hopes to return to the field. “Probably the number-one priority now is time with my family,” she said. “Outside of cricket I have always been interested in genetic counselling and look forward to re-entering the workforce in that regard and also leadership opportunities whether that be mentoring young leaders or being a leader myself in different areas.”
Blackwell has also been a very vocal advocate for gender equality and said she was proud of the role she had played in that regard as well as in terms of inclusion and diversity. She added that it was her “ability to continually evolve as a batter, in particular with the introduction of T20 cricket and my pursuit of excellence and mastery in batting” that made her the proudest.
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