Sophie Devine to step down as T20I captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup
New Zealand women's team veteran player Sophie Devine will step down as T20 captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Devine, who will turn 35 on Saturday (September 1), will continue to feature as a player in T20Is and lead the New Zealand ODI side.
Devine has cited the desire to manage her workload better as the primary reason behind her decision. She captained New Zealand for the first time on an interim basis a decade ago before taking on the role full-time in 2020. Under her leadership, the team won 25 out of 56 matches, with one contest ending in a tie.
“I’m very proud to have had the privilege to captain the WHITE FERNS in both formats. With captaincy comes an additional workload that, while I’ve enjoyed taking on, can also be challenging at times. Stepping away from the T20 captaincy will take a bit off my plate so I can focus more of my energy on my playing role and nurturing the future leaders," Devine said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket.
She also clarified her stance regarding ODI captaincy and believes her decision to step down as T20I captain will help cultivate new leaders.
“I’m not ready to give up ODI captaincy just yet. But I won’t be around forever, so I think stepping away from captaining one format at a time gives the next leaders time to find their feet," she added.
As mentioned earlier, the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup in October will mark Sophie Devine's final assignment as captain in the format. New Zealand have been drawn alongside Australia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A, and will commence their campaign against the Women in Blue on October 4 in Dubai.
Sophie Devine has led New Zealand in the last two editions of the Women's T20 World Cup
The upcoming edition will mark the third successive edition of the Women's T20 World Cup that Sophie Devine will be captaining. She led New Zealand in the 2020 and 2023 editions, where they were eliminated in the group stages.
She has also led the Perth Scorchers in the Women's Big Bash League in the past, guiding them to the title in the 2021-22 season, and has already been pre-signed ahead of the 2024-25 season.