Devine will end her 20-year international career at the Women\u2019s T20 World Cup in England and Wales in June-July, alongside retiring long-standing teammates Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old is one of the world\u2019s best all-rounders, scoring almost 8,000 runs and taking 239 wickets across ODIs and T20 Internationals.<\/p>\n
New Zealand\u2019s women\u2019s team, the White Ferns, last played a Test in August 2004, a drawn match against England at Scarborough.<\/p>\n
Devine said it\u2019s a format she \u201cwould have loved to have played\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just hasn\u2019t been a priority for New Zealand cricket,\u201d Devine told AFP.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll walk away from the game having not played one, but it\u2019s really cool to see more countries are taking up that opportunity to play Test cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between 2010 and 2020, just eight women\u2019s Tests were played featuring either England, Australia, India or South Africa.<\/p>\n
In the past five years, there have been 12 women\u2019s Tests played between those nations, and the West Indies is to play a one-off Test against England in August 2027, its first in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
Devine said New Zealand would first need to prioritise longer form cricket domestically.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just rock up and play a four-day or five-day woman\u2019s Test, there\u2019s obviously a lot of work that has to go into that,\u201d Devine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us has played multi-day cricket. Well, I have, but that was when I was in high school or playing club cricket 20 or 25 years ago. For me, it\u2019s probably the ultimate form of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Part of me\u2019<\/h4>\n
In recent years, Devine has taken time off from the game to focus on her mental health, having talked of feeling \u201cnumb\u201d even during some of her greatest achievements.<\/p>\n
In speaking out, other cricketers have followed, the likes of New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr often opening up about her darkest moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere certainly does seem to be a bit more acceptance with athletes sharing their stories and the mental health battles that people face,\u201d Devine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes there\u2019s a stigma attached to mental health, especially with athletes, but hopefully I\u2019ve been part of that acceptance and willingness to talk and share. Would I have liked to have not gone through it? Absolutely. But I think it\u2019s part of who I am and it\u2019s helped me grow and learn and become who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her personal struggles had set the tone for how she sought to lead the White Ferns at the 2024 T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n
New Zealand turned around a run of 11 straight losses leading into the tournament to win the title.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an approach continued and perhaps improved upon by the 25-year-old Kerr, who has averaged more than 70 with the bat and under 18 with the ball since taking on the captaincy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I should have handed over the captaincy much sooner, had I known what it would do for her game,\u201d Devine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in a better place than we were in \u201824. That playing XI is going to be tough to pick.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she heads towards her final matches wearing the white fern, Devine said she is \u201cfortunate and grateful\u201d to have played at the time she has.<\/p>\n
In her early days, Devine said she would earn as little as NZ$30 (now US$18) for playing in a match, whereas in March she was bought for \u00a3210,000 (US$285,000) to play for the Welsh Fire in the women\u2019s Hundred.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting,\u201d said Devine, who will still play franchise cricket after international retirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s only going to get bigger and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Published on May 05, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n