William Porterfield announces retirement from international cricket with immediate effect

Former Ireland skipper William Porterfield has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. The left-hander called it a day and was the third most capped player for Ireland’s men cricket team.

After taking over captaincy reins from Trent Johnson in 2008, William Porterfield led Ireland cricket team in 253 matches-the most in Ireland’s cricketing history. In 2018, Porterfield also captain Ireland for their maiden Test match against Pakistan.

After captaining Ireland for 11 years, Porterfield decided to relinquish the captaincy duties with Andrew Balbirnie leading the side in white-ball cricket. In 61 T20Is played for Ireland, Porterfield has accumulated 1,079 runs at an average of 20.35 with three half-centuries to his name.

In limited-overs cricket, William Porterfield has accumulated 4,343 runs in 148 matches at an average of 30.58 with 11 centuries and 20 half-centuries. He has scored a memorable ton for Ireland and Pakistan in the 2015 ICC World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand.

In three Test played for Ireland, Porterfield could only score 58 runs at an average of 9.66. In his final international appearance for Ireland, former captain was dismissed for a duck.

William Porterfield clearly stated that it was an honor to play for Ireland for almost 16 years. As a child growing up, he always wanted to play the game and represent Ireland at the highest level. He said that it was an incredible journey and he is more relieved after calling it a day from international cricket.

He said that Ireland national cricket team has made quite a progress in the last two decades. From being associate team to becoming a Test playing nation is a huge achievement. He said that more kids take up the game and take Ireland cricket to new heights.

He has enjoyed successful career in the English County Championship and represented county sides like Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. He said that he has been offered an opportunity to become a consultant coach for Gloucestershire.

William Porterfield also thanked Cricket Ireland and his teammates for their continuous support in a career spanning almost two decades.