It’s never easy being a super talented cricketer and leading an associate nation against some of the top names and countries in international cricket. But former Ireland captain William Porterfield did it with dignity and grace and led his nation to several remarkable and must we say historic victories. And today, we’re here to talk about his retirement from international cricket.
The 37-year old top order batsman has 11 ODI centuries to his name and a total of 23 fifties in both T20I and ODI cricket combined. In three Tests for Ireland, he wasn’t able to get any big scores but that’s also because of the fact that Ireland as a country didn’t get many opportunities to play the longest format of the game.
William Porterfield announces retirement
The southpaw informed Cricket Ireland about his decision to announce his retirement sometime earlier this week, and the official statement was released on Thursday, 16th June 2022. He took over the captaincy of Ireland from Trent Johnston in 2008 and led them through a golden era during the next decade or so, even till they were awarded Full Member status by the ICC.
Porterfield led Ireland to two ICC World Cups and as many as five T20 World Cups before he handed over the reins of captaincy to Andrew Balbirnie. One of his most famous memories as captain or Ireland would’ve been beating England in the 50-over World Cup in Bangalore, back in 2011. Today, Cricket Ireland will surely miss this legend’s presence in their dressing room!
SEE ALSO: List of top online sports betting websites
“It’s been an honour to represent my country for 16 years – it’s something I had always wanted to do since I was a child. I have to say, though, it’s a little surreal at the moment having made the decision to step away and retire, but I’ve been fortunate to play since 2006 and it’s been an incredible journey,” said Porterfield in an official statement.
“During my career, we’ve gone from an amateur team right through to now being a Test nation. From those before me, and along my journey, we have hopefully built an infrastructure that will allow the game in Ireland to continue to flourish. All I ever wanted to do was leave the shirt in a better place and leave the team in a better place, and hopefully I’ve played a part in doing that,” he also added.
🎥: GREAT MEMORIES
As we say farewell to a legend of Irish cricket, let’s look back at some great memories of @purdy34 in action.#ThankYouPorty #BackingGreen ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/tUomTYQcgN
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) June 16, 2022
He ends his career as their first ever captain in the Test format, the second most capped player for Ireland and the third most ODI runs for the country as well. He was the first Irish player to score 1,000 T20I runs and also had 67 consecutive matches as ODI captain for them. Now, his focus shifts to coaching, having already worked with English counties Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.
Also a property investor when he’s not playing cricket, we wish Porterfield the best of luck for the rest of his journey through life. For more updates from the world of sports and cricket, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
Register on 10Cric and get 100% first deposit bonus on this betting platform.
