Australia Women’s Leah Poulton announces ODI retirement – Cricket News Update
Hard-hitting Australia Women batter http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Leah-Joy-Poulton-c72374 has announced her decision to retire from the ODI format of the game, while reiterating her intent to remain available for T20Is.
Poulton, a former Australia Under-19 captain, made her ODI debut in October 2006 during the Rose Bowl series against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 Women, after having registered strong domestic performances. Upon her selection, she was described by the Australian chairman
of selectors http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Margaret-Jean-Jennings-c74421 as a “a talented player with a free-flowing game”.
She went on to make a strong statement almost immediately, scoring a match-winning 101 in her third ODI, and the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 Women subsequently secured the series 3-0, with two matches remaining. Poulton followed up the stellar century with a 68 in the fourth
ODI, and finished with 197 runs at 39.40 from the series.
Since then, the 28-year-old right-hander has gone on to play 48 ODIs for the national side, and has scored a total of 1033 runs at an average of 25.19, with a strike rate of 65.25. She has scored two centuries in the format (with her highest score being
an unbeaten 104), and four half-centuries. Poulton’s retirement comes on the back of the recently concluded 2012/13 Rose Bowl series, which the Australia Women won 3-1.
“I've been really lucky to have played with some greats of the game, such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shelley-Nitschke-c89961,” said Poulton, reflecting on her 6-year-long ODI career. “When I first started playing, I looked up to those players and I was lucky enough to
eventually play alongside them and learn a great deal from them.”
Meanwhile, Poulton, who also plays for the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-South-Wales-c823 Women in the domestic circuit, has announced her intent to continue to develop her game in the T20I format. So far in her career, she has played a total of 40 T20Is, and has amassed 784 runs at an
average of 20.63, with a strike rate of 104.25.
“A few years ago T20 cricket really invigorated my love for the game and if it hadn't been for T20, I may have retired sooner,” she said. “I still enjoy T20 cricket today as much as I did when it first came along.”
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