England captain Charlotte Edwards has strongly hinted on twitter that she intends to retire in the wake of the 2017 World Cup.

In a tweet sent yesterday to current head of women’s cricket at the ECB, Clare Connor, regarding the London Marathon, Edwards stated: “Totally got this!! #2018”

It is unlikely that with her current commitments as captain – England Women were awarded professional contracts in February last year – Edwards would be able to consider taking part in the London Marathon until after she retires from international cricket.

Edwards, who is now aged 35, has previously stated that her aim is to keep playing for England until the 2017 World Cup, which is due to take place in England. This, though, is the strongest evidence yet that she intends to retire in the wake of the tournament.

It would certainly be a fitting way to end a career which began in 1996, when Edwards was just 16 and women’s international cricket was still being played in skirts. She has been a prolific run-scorer ever since, and remains a mainstay of England’s batting, having amassed (to date) 1645 runs in Tests, 5812 in ODIs and 2299 in T20s.

She took over the captaincy from Connor in 2006, and recently led England out for the 200th time, making her the most long-standing captain in the history of English cricket.