Suzie Bates announces retirement: Career, Records, and Stats

New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates has announced that she will retire from international cricket after the 2026 T20 World Cup in England. Bates, who has played 362 international matches for New Zealand since her debut in 2006, has been one of the most consistent players with both bat and ball. With her retirement, she will bring down curtains on her legendary career, after having debuted at the age of 18 for the White Ferns.

Bates made a comeback from a quadriceps injury and will be named in the 15-member World Cup team. The announcement will be made at an event at her former school, Otago Girls’ High School next week. Notably, the White Ferns are the defending champions, having lifted the trophy for the first time in 2024. Needless to say, Bates is aiming to defend the title and bid adieu to international cricket with glory.

"When I look back on the past 20-plus years, I can't quite believe how quickly the time has gone. I'm immensely proud to have worn the fern so many times, and I've been filled with enormous purpose and joy in striving each day to be a better person, team-mate, cricketer, and athlete for this team," Bates said.

Suzie Bates reveals she has one mission- win World Cup in UK

During her retirement announcement, Bates revealed that she has only one mission, which is to head to the UK and win the T20 World Cup 2026. "I have one final mission: to head to the UK - a place that holds so many special memories for me - and win another World Cup. I'm going to give every ounce of my energy to this final quest, dedicating every minute to helping this team play the kind of cricket we, and our country, can be proud of," she added.

Talking about her international career, Bates is currently the leading run-scorer in Women’s T20Is with 4717 runs. Not only this, but she is also the fourth highest run-scorer in ODIs with 5964 runs. Suzie has truly been an all-rounder, considering that she has also represented her nation at the 2008 Olympics in Basketball. Moreover, she was also the first female cricketer to play 350 international games and score over 25,000 career runs.

Batting Career Summary

Bowling Career Summary