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File photo of Sophie Devine. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
New Zealand star allrounder Sophie Devine will step down as captain of the national T20 side after the World Cup in October to focus on her playing role and grooming “future leaders” in the format.
However, the 34-year-old will continue to lead New Zealand’s ODI team.
Devine, who has played a key role in New Zealand cricket since her debut in 2006, has scored 3,268 runs in 135 T20Is. She took over the T20I captaincy from Amy Satterthwaite in 2020 and led the team in 56 matches.
“I am very proud to have had the privilege of captaining the White Ferns across both formats,” Devine said in a statement.
The veteran also admitted that captaincy comes with an additional workload and it can be “challenging at times”. Under Devine’s leadership, New Zealand won 25 matches and lost 28 in the shortest format.
“Stepping away from T20 captaincy will ease my workload a bit, allowing me to focus more of my energy on my playing role and on grooming future leaders,” she said.
Devine, who is recovering from a foot injury he suffered ahead of the T20 World Cup, will continue to play for New Zealand in both white-ball formats.
“I’m not ready to give up the ODI captaincy just yet. But I won’t be there forever, so I think stepping away from one format captaincy at a time will give the next leaders time to find their feet,” Devine said.
Although New Zealand Cricket are yet to announce his successor, the team’s head coach Ben Sawyer has praised Devine, calling him “the epitome of a fearless leader”.
New Zealand will announce its 15-member squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup on September 10.
As part of preparation for the World Cup, the team will leave on September 16 to play three T20 matches against Australia in Mackay and Brisbane.
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