ENGLAND and Northern Diamonds bowler Katherine Brunt has announced her retirement from regional and county cricket.

The 37-year-old will still feature for the Trent Rockets in the upcoming Hundred tournament this summer, but will no longer play for Yorkshire CCC or the Northern Diamonds.

Brunt has not played county cricket since making her 100th senior Yorkshire appearance in 2019, and has featured just eight times for the Diamonds over the last three years.

Her first appearance for Yorkshire came at Under 15 level in 1999, where she went on to score 2048 runs and claim 95 wickets in an illustrious 18-year senior career.

The Barnsley-born star, will still turn out for England however, and is expected to play a big part in the Lionesses' bid for the T20 World Cup in South Africa next month.

In fact, she is England's leading T20 wicket taker, with 110 of her 231 international wickets having been taken in the quick-fire format.

Speaking about her decision to retire from regional and county cricket, Brunt admitted that injuries and the tight schedule have played their part, telling the Diamonds:

"I have played some games over the last few seasons, but it's been two or three max per year because that's all the schedule has allowed.

"There has been a time where I've been injured and not fully fit and I've played just as a batter. 

"But if I've been fully fit, it's only been for two or three games.

"That goes for most of the players who play all three formats for England."

The influx of young talent in the Diamonds set-up has also influenced the 37-year-old's decision.

"I don't want to take up someone's place in the team," she continued.

"I wouldn't think that's fair when there's so much good young talent in that Diamonds set up.

"Being around these girls, I've seen them come through and have championed them.

"I don't want to be opening the bowling for Yorkshire, or the Diamonds, when someone like a [19-year-old medium-arm bowler] Lizzie Scott is absolutely capable of doing it and needs to get herself out there.

"I don't want to hold these girls back just because I'm someone who walks into the team just because I need the practice.

"That makes it hard for a coach who needs to develop their young players who will be needed for crunch time in finals when I'm not available.

"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 like the right time."

Brunt has won all the sport's major international triumphs, including the Ashes, One-Day Cup and T20 Cup,  

The experienced fast bowler announced her retirement from Test cricket in June 2022 and has not featured in a One Day International since July, instead preferring the game's quicker formats as she reaches the end of a glittering career.

Her favourite domestic triumph however is Yorkshire's One-Day Championship title in 2015, a campaign in which she played half of the eight fixtures, taking eight wickets and contributing 76 runs.

"That year was really special, and I got to play a lot that year," she recalled.

"Yorkshire has always been my team and always will be, but when you don't play too much you don't feel a part of it. But I got to play a lot of that.

"That year was just meant to be. Everything fell into place and it was a lot of fun to be part of.

"It was more special because we'd fallen back due to a massive change in the squad.

"After they'd won loads, there was about six or seven retirements all in a row. It brought about this young team.

"Unfortunately, over the next three years, we dropped all the way down to Division Three. Then it was a massive climb back to Division One.

"In the first two or three games, we played the big teams like Kent, who had Charlotte Edwards and Tammy Beaumont, and we realised we could give it a really good go.

"It was just meant to be. There were some games which we didn't have a right to win but we did.

"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."