New Zealand’s Rachel Priest retires from international cricket

New Zealand Women’s Rachel Priest has hung her boots from international cricket after serving her nation for nearly 13 years. She made her debut way back in July 2007 after coming up the ranks at Central Districts. She last donned the national jersey in the T20 World Cup in Australia where she managed only 60 runs in four matches with a top score of 25 against Bangladesh Women.

Priest, who turned 35 on Saturday, June 13, said that she would now be plying her trade for Tasmania. Back in 2019, the New Plymouth-born returned to the White Ferns after a gap of more than two years. But earlier this month, the veteran wicketkeeper was dropped from the central contracts after the poor campaign in the World Cup.

I am really looking forward to the next chapter: Rachel Priest

“Having been involved in the White Ferns environment for 13 years, most of it enjoyable, it is with much consideration that I have decided to retire from international cricket. I am really looking forward to the next chapter of my cricketing journey with Cricket Tasmania and the Tigers program and feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity,” Priest was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“I’m in a position where I’ve played a fair amount of cricket at the age that I’m at around the world, so I’m certainly hoping to add some of that experience and bring a bit of the mongrel that [coach Salliann Briggs] spoke to me about,” she stated.

“Experience is massive but it’s also about trying to bring a positive belief into the team, where the girls can be whoever they want to be and back themselves when they perform,” Priest added. Priest is the third cricketer to join Tasmania ahead of the 2020-21 season after Western Australia’s Heather Graham and New South Wales’ Naomi Stalenberg.

In her career, Priest played 87 ODIs and 75 T20Is, scoring 2,567 runs with a couple of centuries and 10 half-centuries. Her top score of 157 off 146 came against Sri Lanka Women in November 2015 at Lincoln.

Four days ago, at the same venue and versus the same opponent, she churned out her maiden ton for New Zealand. In her career, she also took 113 catches and effected 52 stumpings.