Hartley took 10 wickets in eight matches during England’s seminal triumph, including two for 58 in the final against India, the undoubted highlight of an international career spanning 28 ODIs and four T20s.
The slow left-armer has not featured for England since 2019 while she went on a brief hiatus in May after admitting she had been “struggling mentally”, having fallen out of love with the game.
She made her comeback earlier this month for Welsh Fire, who have guaranteed progress to at least the eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday and could even go directly into Sunday’s final at Lord’s.
Whatever the outcome for the Fire in the knockout stages, Hartley, a popular broadcaster with the BBC’s Test Match Special, will retire from cricket this weekend.
“I’m hanging the boots up. I am officially retiring from cricket,” the 29-year-old said on her BBC ‘No Balls’ podcast. “I can’t believe it, I feel so good.
“I have been thinking about it for ages and ages. I’m going to really miss it, I’m going to be really sad but it’s so right. I’ve loved it, I’ve hated it but I am really proud of what I’ve achieved.
“It’s everything that I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m gutted I didn’t play Test cricket but I’m one of those where if you’re not good enough then you’re not good enough.”
Hartley made her England debut in 2016 but estimated she has devoted 17 years to her playing career, and is now looking forward to having more free time, even if she will still work in the game.
“At the minute, it’s work, cricket, work, cricket. I don’t ever have any days off,” Hartley added. “I haven’t seen my school friends for about a year because I never have time.”
Hartley, who has represented North West Thunder on the domestic circuit since 2020, has taken two wickets in three matches for the Cardiff-based Fire, who are currently second in the table.
They will finish top – and thereby go straight into the Lord’s showpiece – if they beat Northern Superchargers on Tuesday and Southern Brave lose to Manchester Originals on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have confirmed all the tour logistics and have submitted detailed medical and security plans to CWI for final review.
The West Indies Women are due to arrive in Pakistan on November 1 for the ODI series that is scheduled to be played at the National Stadium in Karachi.
This will be the West Indies Women’s third bilateral series in 2021, after hosting Pakistan and South Africa in the Caribbean this summer. The West Indies players are currently in Antigua for a High-Performance training camp as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
“This reciprocal tour to Pakistan is an important part of our preparation plans ahead of the World Cup qualifying tournament that is scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe in mid-November. This tour to Pakistan will give the team the chance to play in different conditions compared to the Caribbean and have more high-level competitive cricket ahead of aiming to secure one of the three qualifying spots available for the Women’s Cricket World Cup next year,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave.
“The security plan arranged by the PCB is the same high level that the West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams received when they last toured Pakistan in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI) have confirmed to both CWI and WIPA that they are satisfied that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level of safety. We will now take a final recommendation to our Board of Directors before the Selection Panel confirms the squad.”
The West Indies Women will travel directly to Zimbabwe after the ODI Series for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers from November 21 to December 5. They will be one of 10 teams, along with Pakistan, aiming to secure one of three qualifying places for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in February 2022.
The West Indies Women last toured Pakistan in January 2019 for three (3) T20 Internationals in Karachi.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE
1st ODI – November 8 at National Stadium, Karachi
2nd ODI – November 11 at National Stadium, Karachi
3rd ODI – November 14 at National Stadium, Karachi
