Tash Farrant will retire from professional cricket with immediate effect due to a recurring injury to the lower back.
Farrant first suffered a back injury in 2022 that ruled her out for the whole year and a recurrence of the injury followed in June 2023, ending the season prematurely. Despite undergoing surgery and significant rounds of rehabilitation and medical consultation, Farrant has not been able to resolve the injury and reach a sustained level of fitness to be able to play.
The left-armer started playing cricket as an eight year-old in Kent and in 2013, at just 17 years old, made her debut for England against Pakistan. She was part of the squad that won the 2013/14 Women’s Ashes in Australia and was awarded a Central Contract in 2014 – the youngest recipient of a deal at that point.
At the Southern Vipers, Farrant won the KSL twice in 2016 and 2019 before moving to the South East Stars in the re-imagined regional set up. As a key part of the Oval Invincibles franchise, Farrant won the inaugural edition of The Hundred, taking 18 wickets and ending as the competition’s leading wicket-taker.
Farrant captained the South East Stars in the first two years of the team and remained a key part of the side. She was instrumental in the 2024 run to the Charlotte Edwards Cup Final where the Stars were runners-up.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Farrant signed for Surrey and was named vice-captain of the team. Playing time in the Three Feathers was limited by an early-season injury but Farrant returned to take eight wickets at an average of less than 17 in five matches as Surrey won the inaugural Women’s Vitality Blast at the Kia Oval.
Despite injuries, Farrant has remained an important part of the Surrey and South East Stars leadership group and she has been an influential figure for the development of young cricketers who have come through talent pathways in Surrey and Kent.
Tash Farrant said “It is with sadness that I will be stepping away from playing professional cricket.
“Despite all the amazing support I have received and my best efforts to overcome injury, I have come to accept that I can no longer reach the level of performance required to compete at the standard needed.
“Throughout my career, I have always given everything to every team I have represented. Not being able to perform to the high standards I set for myself, combined with the mental and physical toll of ongoing injury, has ultimately brought this chapter to a close.
“Cricket has been my passion and my life. From my first game for Kent as an eight-year-old, to my England debut at 17 and being a member of winning Ashes dressing rooms, winning The Hundred in front of a packed crowd at Lord’s, and being part of an incredible club like Surrey. I am so grateful for all the amazing opportunities and the pure joy it has given me.
“I am incredibly proud to have worn the England shirt, and although my career didn’t always pan out the way I had imagined, I guess the hard work and comebacks were all part of the fun?!
“I have been blessed to play alongside amazing people who are now lifelong friends, and I am so lucky to have had some of the best role models throughout my career. Training and playing with my mates is what I will miss the most.
“Playing professional cricket has given me the opportunity to travel the world and work with the very best players, coaches, and medical teams, and I am so grateful for the support and care I have received along the way. My thanks go to Mybs and Surrey for their understanding and support. They are an amazing club, fully embracing the inclusion of professional women, and I know they will continue to grow the game. I will miss the Surrey family hugely.
“I believe that sometimes in life you have to be bold, brave, and seize the new opportunities that come your way. I am now very excited to begin a new chapter in my life that I hope will allow me to stay involved in the sport that means so much to me.”
Emma Calvert, Director of Women’s Cricket at Surrey said “Tash has been an incredible servant to the game of cricket and an inspiration for so many young cricketers who have since followed in her footsteps. She broke onto the scene at a young age and her career has spanned the significant developments in the women’s game as it has professionalised.
“She can look back on her playing cricket with a phenomenal amount of pride, knowing that she gave her fullest every time she stepped over the boundary rope. To have dealt with the set backs she has to had to handle has not been easy but her mental resilience to work through rehabilitation, conditioning and then to step back on the field and deliver her skills has been nothing short of heroic.
“We will miss Tash as a player and what she brought to the team through her performances but we will miss her character in our dressing room even more. On behalf of the players, coaches and staff at Surrey, I’d like to thank Tash and wish her all the very best for the future.”
