Katherine Brunt retires from regional and county cricket

Brunt has played her final matches for Northern Diamonds and Yorkshire but will continue to play in The Hundred and for England

Katherine Brunt has retired from regional and county cricket, calling time on her careers with Northern Diamonds and Yorkshire, respectively.

The allrounder, who has been named in England's 15-strong squad for the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup, remains available for international selection and will play in The Hundred, in which she currently represents Trent Rockets. 

The England veteran has not played a county fixture since 2019, a match which marked her 100th senior appearance for Yorkshire.

She first represented her county at Under-15s in 1999 and went on to score 2,048 runs and claim 95 wickets for the senior team between 2001 and 2019.

^{Brunt played for Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League [Nathan Stirk/Getty Images]}

A member of Yorkshire's 2015 County Championship-winning squad, she contributed 76 runs and eight wickets in four appearances.

For Northern Diamonds, meanwhile, she made eight appearances in all formats, scoring 67 runs and taking 15 wickets.

"I don't want to take up someone's place in the team. I wouldn't think that's fair when there's been so much good young talent in that Diamonds set-up," the 37-year-old said.

"I don't want to be opening the bowling for Yorkshire, or the Diamonds, when someone like a Lizzie Scott is absolutely capable of doing it and needs to get herself out there.

^{Brunt will continue to be available in The Hundred [Matthew Lewis/Getty Images]}

"I'm happy with what I've done, and I can still train and do what I need to do to prepare for competitions such as The Hundred. It just seems the right time."

Reflecting on Yorkshire's County Championship win, which ranks among her career highlights, she added: "That year was just meant to be. Everything fell into place, and it was a lot of fun to be a part of. We also got to go to Buckingham Palace, that was pretty cool.

"It was awesome because it wasn't just a one-off season where we were lucky. It was a huge build-up, a journey and growth for a lot of us as players and people. There was a definite Yorkshire spirit."