Former Zimbabwe captain Mary-Anne Musonda has announced her retirement from all cricket. She played 58 T20Is and 16 ODIs but had also played more than 100 games for Zimbabwe before the team gained international status.

“From the outside it might seem like there’s still more left in the tank – and, in many ways, there is. But this decision wasn’t only about performance or ability. It was a combination of timing, perspective and physical reality,” Musonda was quoted as saying in a Zimbabwe Cricket release. “At 34, I became more aware that it wasn’t just about whether I could keep playing, but whether it was sustainable to keep asking my body to operate at that level over and over again.”

Part of the Zimbabwe setup since 2006, Musonda was appointed captain in 2018. After Zimbabwe Women attained international status, she scored five T20I fifties and in 2021, she became the first Zimbabwean to score an international century in women’s cricket when she made an unbeaten 103 in an ODI against Ireland.

“Captaining Zimbabwe Women meant carrying more than results. It meant carrying the hopes of a growing game,” she said. “We weren’t just playing matches, we were helping lay a foundation for the next generation, where every performance mattered in shifting perceptions and opening doors.”

“The legacy I hope to leave behind goes beyond records or milestones,” Musonda said. “It’s about impact… if, years from now, more girls are playing cricket in schools and more pathways exist, then that, to me, is the real legacy.”

“Mary-Anne has been a true servant of Zimbabwe Cricket and a pioneer for the women’s game. Her leadership, professionalism and commitment have left an indelible mark on our cricketing landscape,” ZC Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said.

Outside international and domestic cricket, Musonda also became the first Zimbabwean player to appear in the Fairbreak T20.