PCA thanks 2025 retirees

The PCA honoured professional cricketers who decided to retire from the game at the 2025 PCA Awards in partnership with Toyota at Exhibition White City, London on Thursday, 9 October.

A total of 17 cricketing careers were celebrated on the night by their peers for their hard work and contributions to the sport.

Amongst the retirees were two former England players in Freya Davies and Chris Woakes. The latter, however, has only hung up his boots from the international game and will continue to play domestic cricket for Warwickshire and in The Hundred amongst franchise competitions.

Further prominent names to call it time on their careers include the Leicestershire trio of Matt Salibury, Chris Wright and Harry Swindells, with the latter also serving as a PCA Representative for the county. Wright, 40, was the oldest member to retire this year this year.

The Blaze’s Scarlett Hughes and Dane Schadendorf from Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, were the youngest members to leave the game with the pair being 23 years old at the time of the PCA Awards.

Gloucestershire’s Tom Smith, who previously won the PCA Outstanding Contribution Award in 2023, is also amongst the players to retire following the end of the domestic summer.

The PCA takes pride in seeing the retired members branch into different fields following the end of their playing careers. Smith and Josh Cobb are set to stay close to the game and commence their coaching journeys while Davies and George Garrett take up a careers in law.

The Association wishes all players the best for their transition off the field and will continue to support all as PCA members, for life.

Born in Leytonstone, Browne played 194 games for his native Essex winning two County Championships, Division Two, a Bob Willis Trophy and scored over 8,000 runs with 20 centuries.

A Surrey junior, Wicketkeeper-batter Burgess, represented Leicestershire, Sussex and Warwickshire playing 210 matches, scoring 6,474 runs alongside taking 313 dismissals. The County Championship-winning batter has decided to build a career outside cricket.

The 35-year-old scored hundreds in all three formats amassing over 13,000 runs. Cobb twice won Player of the Match in the Blast final, helping his sides lift the title in 2011 and 2016. Following his retirement, Cobb became the Boys Academy Lead at Warwickshire.

Chichester-born, Davies made her debut for Sussex aged just 14 in a T20 game against Middlesex and would go on to take 33 international wickets in 35 England appearances. The 29-year-old’s best figures came against New Zealand when she took 4-23 in Wellington. The fast bowler took 42 wickets in her final domestic season for Hampshire and Welsh Fire and begins her new careers as a solicitor.

Bristol-born, Dent played 357 times for Gloucestershire scoring over 15,000 runs, including 26 hundreds. Capped by England under-19s, he had a highest First-Class score of 268. The right-handed batter formed part of the Gloucestershire side which won the 2015 One Day Cup, beating Surrey in the final at Lord’s.

Capped by England under-19s and England Lions, pace bowler Dunn made 91 appearances for Surrey taking 171 wickets. The 33-year-old finished as Surrey’s leading First-Class wicket-taker in 2014 with 47. The seam bowler served as the PCA Representative for Surrey for a number of years.

Garrett played age group cricket at Warwickshire from 2014 before making his professional debut in 2019. The pace bowler represented Warwickshire and Kent, playing 34 professional matches, taking 54 wickets. Following his retirement, the 25-year-old has decided to take up a Law conversion course.

Reliable behind the stumps, wicketkeeper Hughes played for Leicestershire, Essex and Sunrisers during her career. The 23-year-old left-handed batter developed through the Sunrisers Academy.

Born in St Asaph, Wales, Lloyd played for Glamorgan for 10 years before moving to Derbyshire. The 33-year-old scored over 9,000 professional runs with a highest First-Class innings of an unbeaten 313.

Famously saving Warwickshire from relegation in 2022 with career best innings figures of 9-62, Norwell took 393 wickets in his professional career. The 33-year-old also scored a century as a night-watcher.

The 30-year-old left-handed batter burst on to the scene as an opening batter in T20 cricket scoring 66 off 40 balls on debut. Pollock scored over 3,500 across his professional career for Worcestershire and Warwickshire.

Chelmsford-born, Salisbury came through the Essex youth system but became a central part of Durham pace attack in 2018 taking 44 wickets with a best of 6-37. The 32-year-old ended his career with 186 wickets.

Born in Harare, Schadendorf represented Zimbabwe under-19s, Mountaineers and Nottinghamshire, making his debut in 2021. The 23-year-old scored a half-century in his final List A game against Surrey.

A career that began in 2006 with Sussex, Smith played for Middlesex, Surrey and Gloucestershire, winning the One Day Cup and the Blast. The 38-year-old left-arm spinner took 378 career wickets retiring as the 5^th all-time leading wicket-taker in the Blast. Smith overcame adversity and helped others working with the PCA to develop life insurance policies for players.

Leicester-born, Swindells played for his home county representing them over 100 times. The 26-year-old helped Leicestershire to One Day Cup glory in 2023 scoring 117 not out to win the final against Hampshire.

A career that spanned more than 20 years, Wright played for Middlesex, Essex, Warwickshire and Leicestershire, taking over 800 career wickets and scoring more than 4,000 runs. The 40-year-old took 62 First-Class wickets in 2012 to help Warwickshire lift the County Championship title and rewarded Leicestershire with more than 100 wickets across both the 2019 and 2021 seasons.

A leading member of two World Cup-winning teams, Woakes retires from international cricket after playing 217 games for England, taking 396 wickets and scoring 3,705 runs along the way. The all-rounder was also named Player of the Series during the 2023 Ashes, having previously won the competition twice. His final contribution wearing the Three Lions involved him walking out to bat at the Kia Oval in a sling which has now become one of the most iconic images in English cricket history.