England pacer stuns cricket fraternity, announces retirement at 29 to become a solicitor

England speedster Freya Davies has decided to retire from professional cricket at 29. She will now pursue a career in law as a trainee solicitor, looking to make a mark in a new field altogether. This decision brings the curtains down on an illustrious cricketing career which spanned a decade and a half.

Davies earned his maiden international cap in March 2019, featuring in a T20I against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Her last appearance for England came in 2023 against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

“Best of luck to Freya Davies, who made 35 appearances for England as she retires from Cricket to become a solicitor. All the best for the future, Freya!” England Cricket wrote in a statement.

Davies' cricketing commenced after she signed for Sussex at just 14. She took very little time to prove her mettle in domestic cricket, playing for teams including Western Storm, South East Stars, London Spirit, Welsh Fire, Southern Vipers, and Hampshire. The right-arm pacer played a key role in Sussex’s 2013 County Championship triumph and went on to make 86 appearances for her home county.

In 2019, Davies was the highest wicket-taker in the Women’s Cricket Super League with 19 scalps. Internationally, she appeared for England in 35 matches across ODIs and T20Is between 2019 and 2023, picking up 33 wickets, which includes a four-wicket haul against New Zealand in Wellington. Davies finishes with an average of 31.10 in ODIs and 23.21 in T20Is.

Her final competitive appearance was for Hampshire in the One-Day Cup final against Lancashire at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday, September 21. In that tournament, where Hampshire finished runners-up, she accounted for 19 wickets from 14 matches, including best figures of 9.5-0-39-4 against Surrey in the semifinals. Additionally, Davies featured in 37 Women’s Hundred matches, picking up 36 wickets for London Spirit and Welsh Fire.

In the 2025 edition of the Women's Hundred, she picked up eight wickets in as many matches for Welsh Fire at an average of 21.37. Unfortunately, Welsh Fire finished last on the points table.