William Porterfield, the former Ireland captain, has called it quits from international duty. In an official statement issued on June 16 (Thursday), he affirmed the same. The left-handed hitter concluded his career as Ireland’s third-most capped cricketer and the country’s second-highest run scorer.
After Trent Johnston stood down as Ireland’s captain in 2008, Porterfield was chosen captain, and the southpaw captained Ireland in 253 games, the most in the country’s cricketing history. Porterfield also captained his team against Pakistan in their historic first-ever Test match in 2018.
After more than 11 years as captain, the left-handed hitter stood down in 2019 and transferred the mantle to Andrew Balbirnie. In international cricket, Porterfield, 37, has played 212 games for his country and scored produce the desired results runs in all three forms. He’s also hit 23 fifties and 11 hundred for his team, with the best score of 139 runs.
Despite the fact that the left-handed hitter was out for a duck in his final international innings, Ireland won the match and went on to win the series 2-1 against the West Indies.
What William Porterfield has to say about his retirement?
“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.”
“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 “
Porterfield has accepted a coaching position with Gloucestershire, the club where he began his county career before moving to Warwickshire
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