Lauren Down Retires: New Zealand Women Cricketer Announces Retirement at 30

Wellington [New Zealand], February 19: New Zealand women's cricketer Lauren Down announced her retirement from cricket on Thursday. The 30-year-old batter made her debut for New Zealand in an ODI match against the West Indies women at Lincoln on March 4, 2018. The right-handed batter made her T20I debut against South Africa women at Wellington on February 9, 2020. India's Harmanpreet Kaur Becomes Most Capped International Player in Women's Cricket, Achieves Feat During IND-W vs AUS-W 2nd T20I 2026.

She played her final ODI match against Australia women at Wellington on December 23, 2024, and she made her final appearance for New Zealand in T20I on December 7, 2022, against Bangladesh at Queenstown.

"I have loved my time being part of the White Ferns group, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have represented my country," Down said in a statement issued by New Zealand Cricket, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"I will miss being around the girls, but I'm now looking forward to watching on from the sidelines, and seeing what this group is able to achieve."

Lauren Down played 35 ODIs and 31 innings, scoring 486 runs at a strike rate of 62.06. The right-handed batter scored three half-centuries.  In T20I, the 30-year-old made 93 runs in 13 matches and nine innings at a strike rate of 86.11.

"A huge part of my cricket career has been in the Auckland setup, and I cannot thank Auckland Cricket, my coaches and team-mates enough for the part they have played in my journey," Down said.

Down was part of five successful Hallyburton Johnstone Shield campaigns, helping the Auckland Hearts lift the women's 50-over title in 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18 and, most recently, 2019-20 where she scored 90 in the Grand Final to help defeat Northern Districts by 67 runs at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Down also ended her career as the Hearts' third all-time leading T20 run scorer (1,496 runs) and the fourth all-time leading List A run scorer (2,690 runs), and contributed 41 wickets during her early days as an allrounder. ‘Feels Wonderful That My Daughter Has Been Named for Padma Shri’: Harmanpreet Kaur’s Father Urges Parents to Encourage Children to Take Up Sports.

A thumb injury meant Down missed out on the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand and sat out of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later that year, but returned to the squad for the West Indies tour in September 2022 and was included in Ben Sawyer's squad for the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Down opted out of a White Ferns central contract for the 2023-24 season to welcome her first child, before returning to the 2024-25 list and featuring on the 2024 tours of England and India. She represented the White Ferns for what would be the final time in the 3rd ODI against Australia at the Cello Basin Reserve last summer. (ANI)

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