Charlotte Edwards tells Sky Sports she's proud to have played a part in growing women's cricket
Tuesday 5 September 2017 11:40, UK
Charlotte Edwards retired from professional cricket in the wake of the Southern Vipers' loss to Western Storm in the final of the Women's Super League on Saturday.
The match brought down the curtain on a career that has spanned three decades and helped push women's cricket forward as a global sport.
The 2008 ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year says it was not until the week of the final that her mind was made up, and that the decision was cemented by a realisation her desire to train for top-level cricket had waned.
"I finally made my decision about a week ago to say that it was time," Edwards told Sky Sports on Monday. "It just felt completely right, and the fact that we go to the final made it an easy decision in the end.
"It was a combination of a few things, but it was mostly around the training. I was becoming less and less motivated to do it, and I'm one of those people who knows that if you want to keep at the top of your game you have to put in the work.
"I never wanted to let my standards slip, and I was always conscious that I wanted to go out playing half-decently.
"Also, there are so many good youngsters coming through, and the last thing I wanted to do was stand in anyone's way. The T20 format is a young girl's game now, I've certainly had my time and I enjoyed every minute of it."
Edwards' England career started in 1996 when she made her Test debut at the age of 16, a match she remembers not only for her scores of 34 and 31.
"Someone saw me yesterday at the cricket club, and they said 'We remember you when you were 16 playing in that skirt and all the cameras were following you around'.
"To think how much the game has changed in that time - I played one game in a skirt and the rest in trousers. Those kind of moments stick with me."
Since then Edwards has played a big part in the growth of the women's game, while also achieving great individual success.
Twenty years with England - ten as captain - were punctuated by a Test average of 44.10 in 23 Tests, 10,000 international runs, tournament wins in T20 and the World Cup, as well as five Ashes victories - three of them as skipper.
"I've had a bit of time to reflect over the last few months since my international career ended, and over the last couple of days, but it will likely be over the next few weeks that I will really reflect on my career and what I've enjoyed," said the 37-year-old.
"I just feel so lucky to have played the sport that I absolutely love. I've travelled the world doing it, and I've made so many great friends as well."
"I guess I've achieved my dream which was to play for England and then be successful as well. I've got absolutely no regrets, which is a good place to be in for someone who is leaving the game they love."
Edwards said it was difficult to separate one career high from the rest.
"It was a highlight to win the World Cup in 2009, but so was winning a Test match in Perth against the Aussies in 2014, which was one of my favourite games to have played in.
"Also the 1997 World Cup in India which really grew me as a person. Going to India when you're 17, when you've not really been out of England, was an eye-opener in itself. There were so many moments that made me the person I am as much as a cricketer."
"I guess I've achieved my dream which was to play for England and then be successful as well. I've got absolutely no regrets, which is a good place to be in for someone who is leaving the game they love."
Edwards, though, isn't truly leaving the game. The woman who grew up next to cricket pitches and spent childhood summers in cricket clubs would have struggled to walk away from the sport completely.
"I can't imagine I'm going to be too far away from the game to be totally honest," she says over the phone, on her way to attending a coaching course less than 48 hours after retiring as a player.
Edwards hasn't yet committed to coaching full time, but some type of involvement in the sport is inevitable due to her unwavering passion for its success.
"I will always be an ambassador of the game because I love it. The messages I've had over the last few days, and even after my international retirement, have all been around inspiration and getting young girls into the sport.
"If I'm totally honest that means more to me than scoring 10,000 international runs because I never had a role model growing up. I always looked to the England men's team or any international men's side because women's cricket wasn't in the media. It certainly wasn't on TV.
"I lacked that female role model, and the fact that I've been that role model to so many girls is something I took huge pride in and treated as a big responsibility.
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"Those messages over the last few days mean so much more than any cricketing achievement I've had; the fact that so many young girls are now playing the game not just because of me, but because of how successful the England team and women's cricket has become in the last ten years."
Edwards is grateful to the game, and even more grateful to leave on a high. Though her side did not win the silverware on Saturday, the fact that a domestic game was broadcast live on television shows the progress the women's game has made in recent times.
This summer also saw the Women's World Cup final between England and India sold out at Lord's, and broadcast live on Sky Sports. Truly a long way from the former England captain's first Test in Guildford as a 16-year-old.
"People say that you want to leave a sport in a better state than how you found it. I've done that, and I've absolutely loved the last 25 years of playing at the top level.
"The summer we've had for women's cricket has been incredible, it just felt like the right time to leave."
