DUBLIN – Ireland Men’s leg-spinner Ben White has officially announced his retirement from representative cricket today.
White, 28, finishes his international career with 41 wickets for Ireland across the three formats, having his last match against Bangladesh in December 2025. He was part of the Ireland Wolves squad that travelled to Bangladesh in 2021, before making his full international debut later that year.
A tall, angular wrist-spinner, White was part of the three ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squads (2021, 2024 and 2026). While the right-arm leg-spinner played all three formats, White was particularly adept at T20 cricket where his variations of flight and change of pace became an important asset for the Irish setup, averaging a wicket every 20 balls, taking a best return of 4-20 against Afghanistan in 2024.
At inter-provincial level, he played for Leinster Lightning, Northern Knights and Munster Reds. In 2021, White he finished as the Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets at an average of just 10 runs per wicket. His best performance was an outstanding 5-13 v Munster Reds.
At club level, he has played most of his career with Phoenix Cricket Club, apart from a few years with CSNI in Belfast. Perhaps the pinnacle performance so far was the 5-34 he claimed against Merrion to lead his side to an Irish Senior Cup title in 2024.
Speaking upon his retirement, Ben White said:
“I’d like to thank Cricket Ireland for giving me the opportunity to fulfil a childhood dream of representing my country and playing cricket at the highest level. Representing Ireland at three ICC T20 World Cups and playing Test cricket definitely wasn’t on the bingo card but It’s something I’ll always be incredibly proud of, and I’ll be forever grateful for the experiences and memories I’ve made along the way.
“A huge thank you to all the coaches and backroom staff I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout my career, especially the likes of Brían, Eagy, Jonty, Fordy, Heinrich, Brownie and Ritz (to name a few) for their guidance, support and belief in me over the years.
“To all the teammates I’ve played alongside, I’ve learned so much from each of you, both on and off the field. Cricket has given me some incredible memories, but more importantly, friendships that will last a lifetime. Will miss the craic very much.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the journey I’ve had representing Ireland and look forward to continuing to watch and support the lads from the other side of the rope!”
Gary Wilson, Ireland Men’s head coach, said:
“On these occasions, it’s always with mixed feelings that I respond to a retirement such as Ben’s. On one hand, I wish him well and congratulate him on a career into which he dedicated so much time and effort. But on the other hand, I know first-hand how much he put into pursuing his dream of playing for Ireland and am pleased that he achieved over 40 caps for his country and he will be missed around the group.
“While he played all formats, Ben will be fondly remembered for his T20 cricket the most – his ability to extract bounce and bowl at great pace made him a handful – Making three T20 World Cup squads is testament to the esteem he was held in, and he should be proud of what he achieved over his career.”
