Shauna Kavanagh Retires From International Cricket At The Age Of 31, Says 'This Will Be An Emotional Transition'

Irish women’s cricketer, Shauna Kavanagh announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 31 on Saturday (August 19). She played his last match on September 2022 in the T20 World Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh, Following which Shauna Kavanagh have make it through in the first eleven even though she was included in the recent T20I series against the Dutch.

Shauna Kavanagh released a statement while announcing her retirement and said that she has been thinking about taking the decision for a long time and feels that this is the perfect time to discontinue playing cricket for the Ireland women’s cricket team.

“The decision to retire from international cricket is something I have been thinking about for a little while and now feels like the right time to finish my playing journey with Ireland. Playing cricket for Ireland has been a significant part of my life for a very long time and there is no doubt this will be an emotional transition,” Shauna Kavanagh told.

Kavanagh said that her international career was full of rewards and thanked all her staff and team members at Cricket Ireland for their support.

“My international career has been a hugely rewarding journey and I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I have had. I would like to thank the staff at Cricket Ireland for their continuous support, particularly all the support staff I have worked with over the years,” the 31-year-old added.

She will be missed greatly: Ed Joyce on Shauna Kavanagh

The head coach of the Irish Women’s team, Ed Joyce praised the 31-year-old player and termed her as a team player and also lauded her hard-working skills. The coach later added that she will be missed.

“Shauna is the quintessential team player, a hard-working professional who was always seeking to improve and grow her game. Even to make the decision to develop wicketkeeping skills late in her career exemplifies how she always had one eye on the team’s needs, and with hard work has become a really proficient keeper. She will be missed greatly, but will continue to feature in the Super Series where she can share her experience and knowledge with the next crop of players coming through the system,” Ed Joyce, Ireland Women’s head coach told.

Shauna played her first game for Ireland in both formats in 2011. In the 20-over format, she played 41 games where Kavanagh scored 345 runs and made 206 runs in 20 50-over matches. Shauna Kavanagh later became a wicketkeeper in her career.