Alex Hartley retires from professional cricket: England’s left-arm spinner Alex Hartley bids adieu to professional cricket. The 2017 World Cup winner has announced that she will say farewell to the game at the end of the ongoing edition of the Hundred.
Alex Hartley retires from professional cricket. Reveals on Her Podcast
Hartley had taken a break from cricket due to her mental health issues while playing for Thunder in regional cricket, and she admitted that she lost her confidence and enthusiasm towards the game. But she returned to the sport as The Hundred started and appeared three times for Welsh Fire. She bagged three wickets as well in this spell.
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Hartley admitted that she is going to miss the game but has been thinking about retirement for ages. “I’m really, really excited. I’m going to really miss it. I’m going to be really sad, but it’s right, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking about it for ages.”
Although she has decided to quit playing, she has been co-hosting a BBC podcast called No Balls with Kate Cross. And she used the same platform to announce her retirement. “I’m hanging my boots up; I am officially retiring from cricket,” she said. “I’ve absolutely loved it at Welsh Fire, every single second of it. The staff have been really supportive; they’ve been great over the last month. And I don’t want to play 50-over cricket! I’m really, really excited. I’m going to really miss it. I’m going to be really sad, but it’s right, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking about it for ages.”
A Career of Lights and Shadows
Alex Hartley retires from professional cricket: Between 2016 and 2019, Hartley played 28 ODIs and four T20Is for England. Her career’s golden feather is the triumph of the 2017 Women’s World Cup. She had one of the best performances in the tournament, including the one in the final when she took the wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur. She bagged 10 wickets in eight games across the tournament to name herself the second-highest wicket-taker for England.
But again, when Sophie Ecclestone started playing for England, Hartley slowly lost her place as Sophie became the lead spinner of the team. In 2019, she lost the central contract, which led her to play domestic cricket since then. She played for the Thunder in regional cricket and also represented the Manchester Originals in the first season of the Hundred. In 2022, she joined the Fire.
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Fire is on the verge of reaching the final. They are playing their last group game against the Northern Superchargers on Tuesday. If they manage to win and Southern Brave loses to the Originals, Fire’s way to the final would be seamless. But otherwise, they will have to play the Eliminator to qualify.
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