SOMERSET and England’s World Cup winning legend Anya Shrubsole is looking to her next career following retirement from the professional game this summer.

The seam bowler, who secured 227 international wickets, has enrolled on to the St. James’s Place (SJP) Academy to become a Financial Advisor with the hope of setting up a partnership with the company once graduated.

The PCA sat down with Shrubsole as part of Futures Week, which aims to highlight personal development achievements and transition stories throughout the PCA membership.

The 31-year-old retired from internationals 18 months ago but continued to play this season, winning both competitions she featured in. The Charlotte Edwards Cup for the Southern Vipers and captaining Southern Brave to victory in The Hundred.

However, the victorious skipper doesn’t have any regrets about calling it a day, despite the success in 2023.

“I’m really content with retiring this season in the domestic game. I’m someone who really thinks through things and it was the right choice for me. I thought about how I’d like my life to look moving forward and it wasn’t playing cricket because it’s a very particular way of life. I decided where I wanted to be with my partner moving forward and cricket just didn’t fit anymore.

“I feel really fortunate to have had the career I have and to be involved in such a dramatic period of change in the women’s game. If I look at the game when I started to where it is now, it’s unrecognisable. I couldn’t have imagined it would go as well as it had, so I feel really lucky.”

In the last few weeks, the England legend has started on the road to her next career with a two-year finance qualification through SJP, which starts with six months of exams followed by six months of client facing work.

“I’m really excited, I’ve always been someone that enjoyed learning new skills and new things and this is an opportunity to do that. I feel like a lot of the skills I’ve learnt playing cricket will come to the forefront doing this.

The former England vice captain used the players’ union through her personal development manager (PDM) and also sought help and advice from a former Somerset batter who has gone into the finance industry.

“The support available from the PCA is amazing, I had lots of meetings with my PDM, Sophie Connor, working through bits and pieces in the early days and that led to what I think I want to do. That support is invaluable, to know the PCA is always there is really reassuring.

“I’ve spoken a lot to James Hildreth who has done exactly the same thing as I’m doing and he’s been a great. Just to have someone who has been through that, he was really helpful to speak to.”

Capped 173 times by her country, Shrubsole wants other players to remain patient and explore all options in the search for their next career, whilst being proactive and not just expecting things to happen for you.