Former England bowler Freya Davies has retired from cricket aged 29, in order to pursue a career as a solicitor.
Freya Davies retires from cricket to pursue law
Davies' retirement came after Hampshire's defeat in this weekend's One Day Cup final against Lancashire. Hampshire scored 288-6, with Davies making a run-a-ball 41 batting at No.4, before Lancashire chased it down with nine balls to spare. Ireland captain Gaby Lewis scored an unbeaten century from the top of the order, while Davies recorded figures of 1-38 off her 9.3 overs.
Having made her county debut for Sussex as a teenager, Davies played for Western Storm in the now defunct Kia Super League from 2016 to 2019. She was part of a side which won titles in 2017 and 2019, and was their leading wicket-taker in 2019. She was also one of 21 players to be awarded a central contract by the ECB that year, despite having not made her England debut at the time. Shortly after receiving her contract, she made her T20I debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo, taking figures of 2-28 in that game.
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Davies made her ODI debut later that year against Pakistan and while she was named in multiple Test squads over her international career, she never made her debut in the format.
Having played over years where Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Anya Shrubsole blocked out two places in England's bowling attack, Davies' England appearances were inconsistent. She was last included in their squad for the Commonwealth Games in 2022, and as England looked towards more raw pace, others overtook her in the contest for places.
Davies finished her international career having played for England 36 times. She took 23 T20I wickets and 10 ODI wickets. After moving from South East Stars to Southern Vipers last year, she was part of the Vipers side which reached the semi-finals of both the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Listen to Freya Davies' thoughts on her retirement:
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