Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu have retired from international cricket following New Zealand's elimination from the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
The trio concluded their international careers with a nine-wicket loss to England at The Oval in London on 28 June 2026, walking through a guard of honour before a crowd of 21,000. Between them, the three players accumulated 894 international matches of experience.
Devine captained New Zealand to their first world championship two years ago and holds the record as New Zealand's highest T20 international wicket-taker. Bates played for 20 years and is the world's leading run-scorer in women's T20 internationals, while Tahuhu took 225 wickets across all formats.
White Ferns coach Ben Sawyer said the team will move into a different phase under Melie Kerr after the departures. "It's not that it's a reset, but we're losing three absolute greats of the game that have been a huge part of our team and our culture," Sawyer said. "So it's a real opportunity for, I guess for someone like Melie to put her real stamp on this team and I'm really confident that whatever direction she wants to take the team in, everyone will follow her."
New Zealand opened the tournament with losses to West Indies and Sri Lanka, during which the side dropped around nine catches. They defeated Ireland and Scotland before the England loss, in which Danny Wyatt scored 89 not out.
Sawyer criticised the bowling against England, noting around 70% of runs came on the offside. "I just think it was our basics and our fundamentals. We can't shy away from the fact that we've probably dropped over a dozen chances," he said. At the previous World Cup, New Zealand was among the top two catching teams.
The White Ferns' next fixtures are three T20 matches in Australia in October 2026.