Sophie Devine set to step down as T20I captain after ICC Women’s T20 World Cup

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine has confirmed that she will step down as the New Zealand’s women’s T20I captain after the ICC T20 World Cup. She however, will continue to remain as the captain of the ODI team. The 34-year old has decided to step down to balance her workload.

Devine is the second highest run getter in T20Is with 3268 runs under her belt in 135 appearances. As far as her captaincy is concerned, she has led the Black Caps for 56 T20I games.

“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,” Sophie Devine said.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, she is currently recovering from a foot injury. But Sophie Devine has claimed that she is unwilling to give up playing both ODIs and T20Is. It is just she would be giving up the T20I captaincy.

“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,” Devine said.

New Zealand is yet to name a replacement. Furthermore, the Kiwis are also yet to name their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup.