Ex-England bowler Cross to retire at end of summer

Former England bowler Kate Cross has announced she will retire from cricket at the end of the summer. The 34‑year‑old, who earned 102 caps for England between 2013 and 2025, has been competing in domestic cricket since losing her central contract last year. “It is incredibly hard to ideate ever saying goodbye to playing the athletics that has been specified a immense portion of my beingness and shaped maine into the idiosyncratic I americium contiguous but the last section is successful sight,” Cross said. “I consciousness truthful fortunate to person had the accidental to play the crippled I emotion professionally and get to bash it astatine the highest level.” Dame Sarah Storey, chair of Lancashire – the county where Cross made her debut at age 14 and became the first woman on its academy – described Cross as a “true Lancashire legend”. Storey added that she “made an unthinkable publication to some Lancashire and England Women”. Cross, who appeared for Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred last weekend, is scheduled to finish the season with Lancashire, including a match against The Blaze on Sunday in Nottingham. She made her England debut at 22 in a T20 against the West Indies and was part of the squad that secured the 2013‑14 Ashes triumph – England’s most recent Women’s Ashes victory that winter. After falling out of favour following a loss of form across formats, Cross watched the 2017 World Cup win at Lord’s from a hospitality box. She later regained her place and was a regular in England’s Test and 50‑over sides until being omitted by head coach Charlotte Edwards last summer. Her final international appearance came in an ODI versus India in July. Cross concludes her career with 25 Test wickets, 101 ODI wickets and 14 T20 wickets.