Anya Shrubsole calls time on professional career after Charlotte Edwards Cup triumph

Southern Vipers defended their crown after easing past The Blaze in the Charlotte Edwards Cup final on Sunday, June 11. Following their successful title defence, former English fast bowler and World Cup winner Anya Shrubsole called time on her playing career. The veteran cricketer signed off in style, claiming the Player of the Match award after her side's triumph in the final.

Anya Shrubsole became a household name in English cricket ever since making her debut for the national side in 2008. Although she played just one game at the 2009 World Cup, she became a feature of the white-ball squad in the years that followed. Renowned for her ability to swing the ball with decent pace, Shrubsole spearheaded the bowling attack with Katherine Brunt for the majority of her career.

She retired from international cricket last year but kept plying her trade in domestic cricket. However, the 31-year-old decided to pull the plug on her professional career after Southern Vipers's triumph in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. While she admitted that she loved playing every moment of the tournament, her body couldn't cope with the pain anymore, which influenced her decision to retire from the game.

"It's hard to put an exact date on when I made the decision, to be honest with you. I think through the course of this tournament it just became clear to me that my time was up. I carried on playing because I really enjoy playing, but I guess the pain element of it - if I'm being totally honest - made it not particularly enjoyable at times, so in lots of ways it was a pretty easy decision to call it a day at the end of this year," Shrubsole said after her side's victory.

I think our experience was a factor in the final: Shrubsole

The veteran pacer from Somerset also lauded her teammates after they completed back to back to title victories to complete a dream farewell for her. Shrubsole was named the Player of the Match for her brilliant opening spell, accounting for both the Blaze's openers inside the powerplay.

"I feel very lucky to have played the last few seasons with this group because they're an exceptional team and an exceptional bunch of people. I think our experience was a factor in the final. We were in a really strong position before it absolutely launched it down yesterday, having got them to 50 for 4, and it's always tricky to come back as a batting team and start again," she added.