June 17, 2025 • 7 mins
Sophie Devine has today revealed that she is not going to sign a new central contract with New Zealand Cricket.
So does this mean the end of the line?
D'Arcy Waldegrave asked Sophie about what this means for her career on Sportstalk.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Sovy Divine at ours today that she is not going
to have a central contract for the White Things that
I released tomorrow. Instead, she's going to have a casual contract.
So does that mean the end of the line for
Sophie Divine? Let's find out. She joins us. Now, Sophie,
how are you. I'm good, You've had enough. You're cutting
(00:36):
and running come the end of the next World Cup.
I'm presuming that this has been sitting around quite a
long time before you actually actioned it.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, it has.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I certainly think something like this, a decision like this,
deserves time to be made.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
And that's sort of what it's taken.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
It's taken you twelve eighteen months of me sitting on
this and what does it look like? And I guess
I'm in a really fortunate position where I've got the choice.
I know it doesn't happen to many athletes, but yeah,
just really grateful for the opportunity that New Zealing Credit
firstly have supported me in this, but also to be
able to step away from the game sort of in
a bit of a stagger which has been nice. Obviously
(01:13):
stepping back from T twenty captain see are now stepping
away from the one day stuff. It's sort of slightly
getting people used to me not being around, and you
know they can get used to things being a bit quieter.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Have you considered this deeply before? Have you come close
in the last couple of years to going no more?
Because you've been through some difficult times. You've taken a
break for your mental health, which is highly commendable and
good on you for doing that. You went through a
period where the team couldn't buy a victory. You must
have juggled this previously. Oh.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
I think through different stages of my career sort of
certainly contemplate retirement and what does that look like? But
I always knew I felt like I had something more
to give, or there's always something just drawing me back.
Whereas now I feel really happy and content and in
a place where I'm ready to step away. I think
that's something that's Yeah, again, I'm pretty fortunate to be
in that position and to be able to make that
(02:03):
call myself as pretty cool. So the cool thing about
it now is, as well as it's all out there,
it's public. Everyone knows sort of where I stand, and
that that I can just focus now on giving absolutely
everything to the white fans, certainly till the fifty over
World Cup, and.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Then we just see what happens after that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
When you get to a stage where you're considering, you
don't know what you're going to do next. And look,
you said to me off air, I'm getting too old
for this. I get that even though you're only thirty five.
Quite frank, if you've been a long long time, what's
your internal drive? What picks you up and pushes you
on to put yourself through this again?
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Well, in all honesty, knowing that there isn't any point
soon is going to last for ever.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, I'm talking about a couple of years back when
you were contemplating at what what makes you up and
said that I'm going to do this again. I'm going
to keep going.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Look, I think for me it's the people, and I
think I always had this drive and want to use
it on cricket to be better and for us to
keep striving because I know the potential that we've got
in this country.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
And you know, obviously.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
The T twenty World Cup last year was unbelievable and
I think, you know, it's every athletes dreamers to win
a pinnacle event and to be able to take that off.
But that's sort of given me a bit of a
driver now with a fifty over World Cup a couple
of months away, is to just keep coming back and
give it one last red hot crack in terms of
let's just give everything to this now obviously coming up
to twenty year career, but yeah, it's cool. I think
(03:25):
different motivations, but certainly it's the people, the culture in
this group. I think, you know, I feel really proud
to be a part of this White Fans environment.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Must have been tempting there to finish at the very top. Go,
that's it. I've done the best. I'm out of here,
but not there's something in there that keeps you involved.
You say twenty years, Sophie Divine, when did you first
play for the White Funds.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
I know, well two thousand and six was my first
series against Australia over in Brisbane. So yeah, coming up
next year, it'll be twenty years, which, as you mentioned before,
I'm thirty five, so I've spent half my life playing
in this team. So it is it's sort of like
a second family, and yeah, well absolutely their thoughts after
finishing you know, last year's World Cup, I pulled up
in there, but again I still had this itch and
(04:09):
you know, this urge and desire that again I wasn't
quite finished and I don't want to, you know, think
in a couple of years time, Geez, I wish I
had had another crack. So for me, yeah, that motivation
and desire to still get better, which I think is
really important. You still want to be striving to be
the best that you can be. So for me, that's
sort of what's kept me going now for fifty over
stuff for another couple of months.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
You're a long time retired. What about talking to your teammates,
because you've been with some of these women for a
very long time in this team. Did you seek counsel
with these people before you made that decision? Who else
did you speak to? Are you just sitting there in
a dark room going enough? I'm out on control of
my own destiny?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Oh a lot.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
They certainly have been discussion, I think obviously. Susie Bates
is someone that I've played my whole career with and
she's someone that I had had a couple of chats
to around it in terms of what are we doing?
I mean, I remember we were speaking before the Home
World Cup in twenty twenty two, sort of saying, you know,
is this going to be us?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
What are we doing? Sort of thing?
Speaker 4 (05:09):
But yeah, I think it's really important that I sort
of touch base with a few different people, not just
in the cricket environment, but outside of it as well,
family friends, people from other codes as well. As you say,
you're a long time retired so I think again, I've
been really fortunate with how this is panning out to
sort of do it in a staggered way. It's sort
of making it less blunt for me, which I think
(05:30):
I would have struggled with if I had to sort
of pulled the pin on everything in one foul swoop.
So to be able to slowly step away it's hopefully
going to make it a little bit easier for me.
I mean, yeah, I'm going to be sad and miss
this group, but to be able to do it this way,
I think hopefully it can sort of prepare me for
whatever comes next.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Casual contracts. You're the first female I believe in your
seeing cricket that it's actually going to manage to pick
up it after the list has been put out tomorrow.
What kind of precedent does that set and what were
your thoughts around why you want to have a casual contract.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Why did you approach I think a big part of
it for me was balance, certainly getting to this part
of my career. It was sort of like looking at
what other opportunities are out there, still wanting to give
to the White Funds and the support I've had from
New Zealand Cricket, from Ben Sawyer and Liz Green have
been outstanding, and I think at the end of the day,
we all wanted what's best for the team, and I
(06:25):
guess by me taking a casual playing agreement, it actually
gives someone else an opportunity to be fully contracted, which
I think is really important. It gives someone else that
opportunity to be supported financially, but also to get all
those services in support, which is incredibly important.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I think, you know, I've certainly had my fair share of.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Support from New Zealand Cricket and to be able to
take up this casual playing agreement it still offers me
the flexibility to train and be certainly obviously really committed
to the White Funds, but also just to find that
balance outside of the international environment as well.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So does that mean you might come back and play
for the Funds again or this is just purely because
you can and you still get access to everything that
the Funds get to when it comes to maybe you
playing for some of these leagues.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
As I like to call, Oh, look, the door's certainly
been left the jar. And that sort of was the
conversations that I've been having with Ben and Lizz's I
don't need to make a decision now about my T
twenty career. I think we don't play again until next year.
So we were all in agreement that we didn't need
to make a decision on that. And again, that gives
me a bit of freedom and space just to continue
(07:27):
to see how I feel.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
And that's a game.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Why this case you're playing agreements so important to me
is it gives me that space to be able to
see where I'm at. You know, if I still have
that desire and want to, you know, still play international
cricket and I'm still good enough to be selected, then
that opportunity is there. But yeah, I think for me,
it's certainly the door's left open. It's not a yes,
it's not a no. But at this stage the focus
is fully on the fifty over World Cup coming up
(07:51):
in October November.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Sovy Divine at ours today that she is not going
to have a central contract for the White Things that
I released tomorrow. Instead, she's going to have a casual contract.
So does that mean the end of the line for
Sophie Divine? Let's find out. She joins us. Now, Sophie,
how are you. I'm good, You've had enough. You're cutting
(00:36):
and running come the end of the next World Cup.
I'm presuming that this has been sitting around quite a
long time before you actually actioned it.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, it has.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
I certainly think something like this, a decision like this,
deserves time to be made.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
And that's sort of what it's taken.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
It's taken you twelve eighteen months of me sitting on
this and what does it look like? And I guess
I'm in a really fortunate position where I've got the choice.
I know it doesn't happen to many athletes, but yeah,
just really grateful for the opportunity that New Zealing Credit
firstly have supported me in this, but also to be
able to step away from the game sort of in
a bit of a stagger which has been nice. Obviously
(01:13):
stepping back from T twenty captain see are now stepping
away from the one day stuff. It's sort of slightly
getting people used to me not being around, and you
know they can get used to things being a bit quieter.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Have you considered this deeply before? Have you come close
in the last couple of years to going no more?
Because you've been through some difficult times. You've taken a
break for your mental health, which is highly commendable and
good on you for doing that. You went through a
period where the team couldn't buy a victory. You must
have juggled this previously. Oh.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
I think through different stages of my career sort of
certainly contemplate retirement and what does that look like? But
I always knew I felt like I had something more
to give, or there's always something just drawing me back.
Whereas now I feel really happy and content and in
a place where I'm ready to step away. I think
that's something that's Yeah, again, I'm pretty fortunate to be
in that position and to be able to make that
(02:03):
call myself as pretty cool. So the cool thing about
it now is, as well as it's all out there,
it's public. Everyone knows sort of where I stand, and
that that I can just focus now on giving absolutely
everything to the white fans, certainly till the fifty over
World Cup, and.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Then we just see what happens after that.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
When you get to a stage where you're considering, you
don't know what you're going to do next. And look,
you said to me off air, I'm getting too old
for this. I get that even though you're only thirty five.
Quite frank, if you've been a long long time, what's
your internal drive? What picks you up and pushes you
on to put yourself through this again?
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Well, in all honesty, knowing that there isn't any point
soon is going to last for ever.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, I'm talking about a couple of years back when
you were contemplating at what what makes you up and
said that I'm going to do this again. I'm going
to keep going.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Look, I think for me it's the people, and I
think I always had this drive and want to use
it on cricket to be better and for us to
keep striving because I know the potential that we've got
in this country.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
And you know, obviously.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
The T twenty World Cup last year was unbelievable and
I think, you know, it's every athletes dreamers to win
a pinnacle event and to be able to take that off.
But that's sort of given me a bit of a
driver now with a fifty over World Cup a couple
of months away, is to just keep coming back and
give it one last red hot crack in terms of
let's just give everything to this now obviously coming up
to twenty year career, but yeah, it's cool. I think
(03:25):
different motivations, but certainly it's the people, the culture in
this group. I think, you know, I feel really proud
to be a part of this White Fans environment.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Must have been tempting there to finish at the very top. Go,
that's it. I've done the best. I'm out of here,
but not there's something in there that keeps you involved.
You say twenty years, Sophie Divine, when did you first
play for the White Funds.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
I know, well two thousand and six was my first
series against Australia over in Brisbane. So yeah, coming up
next year, it'll be twenty years, which, as you mentioned before,
I'm thirty five, so I've spent half my life playing
in this team. So it is it's sort of like
a second family, and yeah, well absolutely their thoughts after
finishing you know, last year's World Cup, I pulled up
in there, but again I still had this itch and
(04:09):
you know, this urge and desire that again I wasn't
quite finished and I don't want to, you know, think
in a couple of years time, Geez, I wish I
had had another crack. So for me, yeah, that motivation
and desire to still get better, which I think is
really important. You still want to be striving to be
the best that you can be. So for me, that's
sort of what's kept me going now for fifty over
stuff for another couple of months.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
You're a long time retired. What about talking to your teammates,
because you've been with some of these women for a
very long time in this team. Did you seek counsel
with these people before you made that decision? Who else
did you speak to? Are you just sitting there in
a dark room going enough? I'm out on control of
my own destiny?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Oh a lot.
Speaker 4 (04:51):
They certainly have been discussion, I think obviously. Susie Bates
is someone that I've played my whole career with and
she's someone that I had had a couple of chats
to around it in terms of what are we doing?
I mean, I remember we were speaking before the Home
World Cup in twenty twenty two, sort of saying, you know,
is this going to be us?
Speaker 3 (05:08):
What are we doing? Sort of thing?
Speaker 4 (05:09):
But yeah, I think it's really important that I sort
of touch base with a few different people, not just
in the cricket environment, but outside of it as well,
family friends, people from other codes as well. As you say,
you're a long time retired so I think again, I've
been really fortunate with how this is panning out to
sort of do it in a staggered way. It's sort
of making it less blunt for me, which I think
(05:30):
I would have struggled with if I had to sort
of pulled the pin on everything in one foul swoop.
So to be able to slowly step away it's hopefully
going to make it a little bit easier for me.
I mean, yeah, I'm going to be sad and miss
this group, but to be able to do it this way,
I think hopefully it can sort of prepare me for
whatever comes next.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Casual contracts. You're the first female I believe in your
seeing cricket that it's actually going to manage to pick
up it after the list has been put out tomorrow.
What kind of precedent does that set and what were
your thoughts around why you want to have a casual contract.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Why did you approach I think a big part of
it for me was balance, certainly getting to this part
of my career. It was sort of like looking at
what other opportunities are out there, still wanting to give
to the White Funds and the support I've had from
New Zealand Cricket, from Ben Sawyer and Liz Green have
been outstanding, and I think at the end of the day,
we all wanted what's best for the team, and I
(06:25):
guess by me taking a casual playing agreement, it actually
gives someone else an opportunity to be fully contracted, which
I think is really important. It gives someone else that
opportunity to be supported financially, but also to get all
those services in support, which is incredibly important.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I think, you know, I've certainly had my fair share of.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Support from New Zealand Cricket and to be able to
take up this casual playing agreement it still offers me
the flexibility to train and be certainly obviously really committed
to the White Funds, but also just to find that
balance outside of the international environment as well.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
So does that mean you might come back and play
for the Funds again or this is just purely because
you can and you still get access to everything that
the Funds get to when it comes to maybe you
playing for some of these leagues.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
As I like to call, Oh, look, the door's certainly
been left the jar. And that sort of was the
conversations that I've been having with Ben and Lizz's I
don't need to make a decision now about my T
twenty career. I think we don't play again until next year.
So we were all in agreement that we didn't need
to make a decision on that. And again, that gives
me a bit of freedom and space just to continue
(07:27):
to see how I feel.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
And that's a game.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Why this case you're playing agreements so important to me
is it gives me that space to be able to
see where I'm at. You know, if I still have
that desire and want to, you know, still play international
cricket and I'm still good enough to be selected, then
that opportunity is there. But yeah, I think for me,
it's certainly the door's left open. It's not a yes,
it's not a no. But at this stage the focus
is fully on the fifty over World Cup coming up
(07:51):
in October November.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
For more from sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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