File photo of Sophine Devine.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

New Zealand’s star all-rounder Sophie Devine will step down as captain of the national T20 team after the World Cup in October to focus on her playing role and nurture “future leaders” in the format.

The 34-year-old will, however, continue to lead New Zealand’s ODI team.

Devine, who has been a key figure in New Zealand’s cricket since her debut in 2006, has scored 3,268 runs in 135 T20Is. She took over the T20I captaincy in 2020, succeeding Amy Satterthwaite, and led the team in 56 matches.

“I’m very proud to have had the privilege to captain the White Ferns in both formats,” Devine said in a statement.

The veteran also acknowledged that captaincy comes with additional workload and can be “challenging at times”. Under Devine’s leadership, New Zealand won 25 and lost 28 games in the shortest format.

“Stepping away from the T20 captaincy will take a bit off my plate so I can focus more of my energy on my playing role and nurturing the future leaders,” she said.

Currently recovering from a foot injury ahead of the T20 World Cup, Devine would continue to play for New Zealand in both the white-ball formats.

“I’m not ready to give up ODI captaincy just yet. But I won’t be around forever, so I think stepping away from captaining one format at a time gives the next leaders time to find their feet,” said Devine.

While New Zealand Cricket are yet to name her successor, team head coach Ben Sawyer praised Devine, calling her “epitome of a fearless leader”.

New Zealand are set to announce their 15-member squad for the women’s T20 World Cup on September 10.

The squad will depart on September 16 to play three T20Is against Australia in Mackay and Brisbane as part of preparation for the World Cup.

The ICC on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) moved the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the UAE, saying it “wasn’t feasible” to conduct the event there after governments of a number of participating countries advised against travelling to the unrest-hit nation.

The event, which also features India and is scheduled to take place from October 3 to 20, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah with Bangladesh retaining the hosting rights, ensuring that it receives its share of revenue.

“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event,” ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said in a statement which avoided any direct mention of the violence and tension in the South Asian nation.

Allardice said the Bangladesh Cricket Board explored “all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted” there.

“…but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights. We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future,” he said.

Over 230 people have been killed in incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.

An interim government has been formed and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been named its Chief Adviser.

Bangladesh Cricket Board’s president Najmul Hassan Papon, known to be close to the former PM, has also fled the country.

The ICC decision comes after Australia T20 skipper Alyssa Healy expressed her apprehensions about playing there on Monday.

“I would find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment, as a human being. I feel it might be wrong thing to do,” Healy was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

Allardice said that all available options were explored before deciding on shifting the venue.

“I’d also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026.” UAE was a feasible venue as both Dubai and Sharjah are located close to each other and logistical cost of conducting the event there won’t shoot up drastically.

As anti-government protests reached a crescendo on August 5, Hasina resigned and fled the country. The 76-year-old embattled leader landed in India and is currently staying in a safe house in Delhi.

There have been reports of atrocities against the nation’s minority communities in the aftermath of the change of guard.