VETERAN Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner Anisa Mohammed was one of four West Indies women's players to confirm their retirement from international cricket on Thursday.
Mohammed, 35, Shakera Selman, and twin sisters Kycia and Kyshona Knight, all of whom were members of the Windies' women's 2016 International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty/20 World Cup-winning team, recently communicated their decisions according to a Cricket West Indies (CWI) release.
Miles Bascombe, CWI's director of cricket, thanked the retired quartet for their service to West Indies cricket.
"Anisa, Shakera, Kycia and Kyshona have all made significant individual impacts on women’s cricket (throughout) the West Indies and the world. Their dedication, skill, and sportsmanship have not only elevated our team, but also captivated cricket fans worldwide," Bascombe said.
"Their legacies, as members of the title-winning ICC women’s T20 World Cup squad of 2016 and individual milestones, will continue to influence and guide future generations to aspire to wear the maroon."
Mohammed, who made her international debut at 15 against Japan in a World Cup qualifier in 2003, had a lengthy international career with over 250 appearances for the West Indies. Mohammed played 141 One-day Internationals (ODIs), taking 180 wickets – snaring six five-wicket hauls in the process. The wily off-spinner also grabbed 125 wickets in 117 T20 international (T20I) matches. In March 2016, she became the first cricketer – male or female – to get to the 100-wicket mark in T20Is when she grabbed figures of three for 25 versus Pakistan in the Windies' triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.
"The last 20 years have been truly amazing. I have enjoyed every single minute of it. The highs and the lows," Mohammed said.
"I believe the time has come for me to step away from the game and allow the young players to live their dreams as I have lived mine."
She thanked her teammates for making her international journey "a memorable experience" and she said it was a privilege to have worn the maroon of the West Indies.
"I have represented the West Indies in five ODI World Cups and seven T20 World Cups. To my fans, it has been an honor representing you over the last 20 years."
Selman, 34, debuted for the Windies in the ODI and T20I formats against Ireland in June 2008. The Barbados medium-pacer played 196 international matches for WI, taking 133 wickets across both formats.
Kycia and Kyshona, who also hail from Barbados, made their respective international debuts in 2011 and 2013. Kycia, a wicket-keeper/batter, played 157 matches across the ODI and T20I formats for West Indies, scoring over 2,000 runs. Kycia jointly holds the record for the most dismissals in a women's T20I innings with five dismissals – a feat she achieved against Sri Lanka in 2013.
Kyshona played 106 international matches, scoring just under 1,400 runs across the ODI and T20I formats.
The post Anisa Mohammed among four West Indies women's players to retire appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
