Poulton Announces ODI Retirement

Poulton Announces ODI Retirement

Leah Poulton has played 48 ODIs and two Test matches for Australia.

©Action Images / Andrew Couldridge Livepic

Australian batter Leah Poulton has announced her retirement from Women’s One-Day Internationals at the age of 28. She will continue to play Twenty20 cricket for her country as well as playing domestically in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) for New South Wales.

Women’s National Selection Panel (WNSP) Chair Julie Savage said: "Leah has been a very good ODI player for Australia and the WNSP are pleased she will continue to be available for T20 cricket in the Australian colours. She will be remembered as a hard-hitting batter who loved to find the boundaries and did so often.”

Poulton made her ODI debut in October 2006 against New Zealand, with her last match also coming against the White Ferns, in Australia’s recent Rose Bowl series triumph. Overall, she has played 48 times for her country, scoring 1033 runs at an average of over 25.

Poulton reflected on her career, saying, “I’ve been really lucky to have played with some greats of the game, such as Karen Rolton and Shelley Nitschke. 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.

“I’m really excited about where cricket is heading with the T20 format. 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. I still enjoy T20 cricket today as much as I did when it first came along and I’m looking forward to the next few years of my career playing T20 and being a part of successful Australian sides.”

© Cricket World 2012