Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
PCA President reflects on remarkable achievements of an England legend.
Charlotte Edwards has paid tribute to Anya Shrubsole, after her friend and former teammate today announced her retirement from international cricket.
Shrubsole, 30, leaves the international game as an England legend, having taken 227 wickets in 173 appearances for her country, during a career that has spanned two World Cup wins and the same number of Ashes victories.
Current PCA President Edwards captained Shrubsole on international debut in August 2008, and has shared her fond memories of that experience, as well as reflecting on the player and leader that the fast bowler has become: “I remember seeing Anya as a 13-year-old playing for Somerset, and instantly I knew that she was going to play for England. She had an aura and a competitive edge about her, and she’d come from a really strong cricketing background.
“You felt that she was destined to go on and play for England, and obviously she did that at the age of 17 when I was lucky enough to present her with her cap on debut.
“I have great memories of captaining Anya – she was just so mature for her age. She had one of the best cricketing brains I’ve seen in a young player, and captaining her was so easy because she knew exactly what she needed to do and was highly skilful.
“She’d also run through brick walls for you and has done that on numerous occasions for myself, Heather and all of the other captains who she has played for – she really is an unbelievable competitor.
“She has since done some truly wonderful things, and I think the highlight for everyone was that World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 when she was just unbelievable and blew everyone away.
“What she did on that day will be remembered for a long time, and is probably the reason why a lot of young girls are now playing the game, which is an incredible legacy to have. You wouldn’t know about her achievements, though, because she’s so modest and humble about what she’s done.
“Most of all, Anya is just a wonderful person, which means her contribution has been immeasurable to those who have spent time around her.
“The recent World Cup final shows that she went out bowling at her best, and I hope we’ll see plenty more of her in domestic cricket. It’s a sad day for England cricket, but I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.”
Everyone at the PCA would like to congratulate Anya on an outstanding England career, and wish her all the best in retirement from the international game.
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), founded in 1967 by former England fast bowler Fred Rumsey as the Cricketers’ Association, represents past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales. In the 1970s, the PCA established a standard employment contract and minimum wage for professional cricketers. It also helped create a pension scheme in 1995 and launched the magazine All Out Cricket and the ACE UK Educational Programme in 2002.
