Retiring great Sophie Devine wants NZ back playing Tests

WELLINGTON, MAY 5: New Zealand great Sophie Devine told AFP she wishes she had experienced Test cricket during her illustrious career and hopes the White Ferns will play the format again soon because it's "the ultimate".
Devine will end her 20-year international career at the Women's T20 World Cup in England and Wales in June-July, alongside retiring long-standing team-mates Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu.
The 36-year-old is one of the world's best all-rounders, scoring almost 8,000 runs and taking 239 wickets across ODIs and T20 internationals.
New Zealand's women's team, the White Ferns, last played a Test in August 2004, a drawn match against England at Scarborough.
Devine said it's a format she "would have loved to have played".
"It just hasn't been a priority for New Zealand cricket," Devine told AFP.
"I'll walk away from the game having not played one, but it's really cool to see more countries are taking up that opportunity to play Test cricket."
Between 2010 and 2020 just eight women's Tests were played featuring either England, Australia, India or South Africa.
In the past five years there have been 12 women's Tests played between those nations and the West Indies are to play a one-off Test against England in August 2027, their first in more than 20 years.
Devine said New Zealand would first need to prioritise longer form cricket domestically.
"You can't just rock up and play a four-day or five-day woman's Test, there's obviously a lot of work that has to go into that," Devine said.
"None of us have played multi-day cricket. Well, I have, but that was when I was in high school or playing club cricket 20 or 25 years ago.
"For me it's probably the ultimate form of the game."
In recent years Devine has taken time off from the game to focus on her mental health, having talked of feeling "numb" even during some of her greatest achievements.    �"AFP