Wellington, March 8 (IANS) New Zealand seamer Lea Tahuhu has announced her retirement from Women's ODIs, drawing curtains on her 15-year career in the format. She will continue to be available for selection in T20Is.
NZC said Tahuhu will be part of the White Ferns squad for the T20I series against South Africa which will be named on Tuesday.
Since making her ODI debut as a 20-year-old against Australia in Brisbane in the 2011 Rose Bowl series, Tahuhu has gone on to represent New Zealand in 103 ODIs and steps away from the format as New Zealand's all-time leading ODI wicket-taker with 125 wickets.
“It’s always been a privilege and honour to pull on the WHITE FERNS shirt in ODI cricket. To get one game was an amazing feeling. To have been able to wear the shirt and represent my country and my family over 100 times in ODI cricket is something I never could have dreamt of.
“I’ll treasure every moment and walk away from the ODI game incredibly proud of what I’ve been able to achieve in the format," Tahuhu said in a statement shared by NZC.
Tahuhu, who made what was her final ODI appearance for New Zealand against England at the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India, said she was excited for what was to come in the T20 format.
“There’s plenty of exciting things ahead and I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to this team in the T20 format. Winning the T20 World Cup in 2024 was a huge achievement and I’m really motivated to be over in England later this year to help this team defend our title," she said.
The 35-year-old pacer is one of 12 players to have played over 100 ODI matches for the White Ferns and featured at four World Cups, including the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup on home soil in New Zealand. She has consistently been ranked inside the top ten ODI bowlers, was widely regarded at her peak as the world’s fastest bowler, and, in 2023, was named in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year after a stellar season.
Head coach Ben Sawyer said Tahuhu’s contributions to the ODI game had been significant.
“Lea has operated at the top of the women’s ODI game for 15 years, which is a huge achievement for a pace bowler. Lea’s pace has always been a strength, but her competitiveness and drive to push this team forward have stood out, and that has rubbed off on the younger bowlers who are now coming through and learning their craft in the ODI game.
“Lea has been the senior member of the ODI bowling group for some time and leaves the group in a great place moving into the next four-year cycle, which is a testament to her leadership," said Sawyer.
Sawyer said Tahuhu’s ODI numbers speak for themselves. “Stepping down from a format as your country’s all-time leading wicket-taker is some achievement that Lea should be very proud of. Lea has scaled the heights of the ODI game and has set new bowling standards in the format for the White Ferns,” he added.
--IANS
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