England Women’s bowler Jenny Gunn on Tuesday called time on her international career which spanned over 15 years. Gunn also finished as England’s second most capped player with 259 international caps under her belt.
“I have made one of the hardest decisions and decided the time has come to retire from international cricket. I started as a young kid playing the game I loved for fun and I could only dream of becoming a professional cricketer,” Gunn was quoted as saying by the ECB.
The main highlights of her career include three World Cup titles and five Ashes victories. She made her international debut for England against South Africa in 2004, when she was just 18 years old. It was also England’s first-ever T20 international match.
Gunn was also the first cricketer in both men’s and women’s cricket to play 100 T20Is. She ended her career as the third-highest wicket-taker for England in T20Is and the second-highest in ODIs.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play in some great teams and to be part of some amazing battles over the years but as a small girl I always said I wanted to put a World Cup medal next to my dad’s European Cup winner’s medal, and there are now three of them next to his medal on the mantelpiece,” Gunn added.
Clare Connor, Managing Director of England Women’s Cricket, thanked Gunn for her services to the team along with expressing her gratitude towards her: “Jenny has been the most tremendous servant to England Women’s cricket throughout the 15 years she has played for England. Her longevity, work ethic and commitment have been hugely impressive across both the amateur and professional eras and on countless occasions, she has delivered match-winning performances for the team with both bat and ball.”
She was a very good seam bowler who troubled even the best of batters with her subtle variations. Gunn was even called for chucking a few times in her career but was cleared off as it was proved that “extreme hyperextension” of her arm caused the illusion of chucking. She even modified her action a bit but still continued to take wickets with that. Gunn also became a very useful batter with experience and is known for some resilient knocks down the order, both in limited-overs cricket and in Tests.