Former Ireland captain William Porterfield, 37, announced his retirement from international and representative cricket on Thursday, 16 June, ending a decorated career in which he played 148 ODIs, 61 T20Is and 3 T20Is. Porterfield finishes as the third-highest run-scorer and second-highest run-scorer from Ireland with over 5000 runs in all three formats of the game.
William Porterfield last played for Ireland in January and it was a fitting farewell to one of the legends of Irish cricket as his team thrashed West Indies 2-1 in the 3-match ODI series. Incidentally, in his last outing for Ireland, Porterfield was dismissed for 0.
Porterfield led Ireland in over 250 matches at the highest level and was their captain in their first Test against Pakistan in 2018 and the Lord’s Test against England. Porterfield led Ireland in two 50-over World Cup campaigns and 5 T20 World Cups. Porterfield was part of the Ireland team that stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup and England in the 2011 World Cup. Porterfield also scored a century in the 2015 World Cup match against Pakistan.
Porterfield said hanging up his boots was a real feeling and believes he was able to play his part in helping Ireland cricket get better over the years.
“It has been an honor to represent my country for 16 years, something I’ve always wanted to do since childhood,” Porterfield said.
: great memories
As we bid farewell to a legend of Irish cricket, let’s look back at some great memories @purdy34 In action.#thank youporty #backinggreen pic.twitter.com/tUomTYQcgN
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) 16 June 2022
“I must say, though, it’s a little too real at the moment that I’ve decided to step back and retire, but I’ve been lucky enough to play since 2006 and it’s been an incredible journey.
“During my career, we have gone from being an amateur team to a Test nation so far. Before me and during my journey, we have hoped to have built an infrastructure that will allow the sport to flourish in Ireland All I wanted to do was leave the shirt in a better place and leave the team in a better place, and hopefully I have played a part in making that happen.”
Appointed captain in 2008 and leading his side more than 250 times in a prosperous period for the team, Porterfield led Ireland in their first Test match, and the Lord’s Test match against England, handing over the reins to Andrew Balbirnie. Earlier Porterfield was the Irish captain in two Cricket World Cup campaigns and five T20 World Cups, most notably in their stunning victory over England at Bangalore in the 2011 50-over tournament.
Porterfield has had a high standing in T20I cricket, but his exploits in ODI cricket have been instrumental in the progress of Ireland cricket over the past decade. He scored 11 centuries and 20 fifties in 148 ODIs and scored 4343 runs in the 50-over format.
Porterfield has now focused his energies on coaching, having already worked with Gloucestershire and Warwickshire in county cricket.