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New Zealand will farewell Bates, Devine and Tahuhu after the T20 World Cup, ending a 15-year era.
New Zealand's women's team will enter the upcoming T20 World Cup with a clear sense of finality, with senior trio Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu all confirming they will retire from international cricket after the tournament.
Bates had already announced her decision last week, identifying the May and June World Cup as her final campaign. She is now joined by Devine and Tahuhu, signalling the end of an era for a side they have helped shape for more than a decade.
Devine, 36, leaves as one of the game's leading all-rounders. She has compiled 3587 runs and taken 128 wickets in T20 internationals, and previously stepped away from ODI cricket following last year's 50-over World Cup.
Across her white-ball career, which began in 2006, she has played 310 matches, 159 ODIs and 151 T20Is, and ranks second only to Bates on New Zealand's all-time run-scoring list.
Tahuhu, 35, has been a central figure in the bowling attack. She has featured in 101 T20Is and 103 ODIs, claiming 223 wickets across the formats, and sits second on New Zealand's ODI wicket-takers list.
Bates, now 38, departs as one of the most prolific batters in the women's game. She is the all-time leading run-scorer in T20 internationals with 4716 runs and ranks fourth in ODIs with 5936.
Her international record includes 178 ODIs, 177 T20Is and 14 centuries for New Zealand.
All three were part of New Zealand's T20 World Cup-winning side in 2024 and will attempt to defend that title in their final outing. Tahuhu indicated that finishing alongside long-time teammates Bates and Devine carried special significance.
Coach Ben Sawyer described the situation as rare, noting that three of the team's most experienced players would conclude their careers at the same event.
He added that while there would be time to recognise their contributions after the tournament, the immediate focus remained on performance.
Devine is expected to continue playing franchise T20 cricket. She has featured in Australia's Women's Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers, where she sits third on the competition's all-time run list with 4195, behind Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry.
With the departures of Bates, Devine and Tahuhu, New Zealand face a significant transition. The trio have formed the backbone of the national side for the past 15 years, and their exit marks a major changing of the guard.
