Ireland's William Porterfield announces retirement from international cricket
Ireland's William Porterfield retired from international cricket on Thursday. Porterfield, 37, led the national side across 172 matches, the most by any player for Ireland. He finished as the second-highest ODI run-getter for Ireland and the second-most capped player in the format after Kevin O'Brien. Reportedly, he will serve as a Consulting Coach in County cricket. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
Porterfield, who captained Ireland in his 300th international game in January 2022, signed off on a high. He led the Irishmen to a 2-1 win over West Indies. Ireland will miss the services of Porterfield, who played international cricket for 16 long years. His departure is a huge loss for Ireland given his wealth of experience both as a leader and a batter.
Here's what Porterfield said
"It's been an honor to represent my country for 16 years it's something I had always wanted to do since I was a child," said Porterfield as per a statement from Cricket Ireland. Porterfield added that he feels grateful to have played for Ireland since 2006. He also mentioned that the decision to retire feels surreal at present.
Porterfield to take up a new role
Porterfield, who has captained Ireland across levels since Under-13, will now shift his focus to coaching. He has been roped in by Gloucestershire as a Consulting Coach for this season. Interestingly, Porterfield had started his County career with Gloucestershire before joining hands with Warwickshire.
A look at Porterfield's international career
Since making his ODI debut against Scotland in 2006, Porterfield aggregated 4,343 runs in 148 matches. He averaged 30.53 and struck 11 hundreds and 20 fifties. Across 61 T20Is, the southpaw compiled 1,079 runs at 20.35. He notched three fifties with 72 as the highest score. Meanwhile, he amassed 58 runs in three Tests with the best score of 32.
Notable records held by Porterfield
He captained Ireland in the 2011 and 2015 ODI World Cups. He is remembered for slamming a match-winning 85 against Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup and 107 against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup. In July 2019, Porterfield clocked his 4,000th run in ODIs and eventually registered his 50th win as a captain of Ireland's One Day International team.
Porterfield's retirement follows that of Peter Chase
Porterfield's retirement follows that of 28-year-old Irish pacer, Peter Chase, who hung up his boots as an international cricketer last week. Chase donned the Irish jersey in 12 T20Is and 25 ODIs and pocketed 15 and 34 scalps, respectively.
