Ireland legend William Porterfield announces retirement from international cricket

Legendary Ireland cricketer William Porterfield has called time on his international career on Thursday (June 16).

The southpaw has been a pillar of Ireland's batting for over a decade, scoring runs across continents. His major success came in ODIs, where he amassed 4343 runs in 148 matches, including 11 centuries and 20 fifties. He also has 1079 runs in 61 T20Is.

Porterfield has also captained the Irish side on 250 occasions since his appointment in 2008. The 37-year-old also led Ireland in their first-ever Test match against England at the Lord's after earning full-member status in 2018. However, he stepped down in 2019 to hand over the reins to Andrew Balbirnie.

His last game for Ireland came earlier this year against West Indies at Kingston.

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"All I ever wanted to do was leave the shirt in a better place" - William Porterfield

Porterfield, who won the ICC Associate Player of the Year in 2019, expressed his delight in representing the country for 16 years.

The opener also believes that he is leaving Irish cricket in a better place from where the players can achieve greater heights.

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," Porterfield reflected. "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."

He added:

"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."

William Porterfield will be seen working as a Consultant Coach for Gloucestershire until the end of this season.