Suzie Bates knew the time was right. So did Lea Tahuhu. If Sophie Devine needed a reminder, a chilly May night in Derby was it.
Three legends of New Zealand cricket will all end illustrious careers at the 2026 women's T20 World Cup in England and while it's hard to imagine a White Ferns side without them, at least they've given everyone plenty of time to get used to the idea.
Each announcing well before the tournament that this would be their last means there are no questions hanging over them, save for the big one: can New Zealand defend the title? What a send-off that would be, as well as a launchpad for Melie Kerr, who took over from Devine as captain earlier this year.
"That T20 title is obviously a huge carrot," Bates told ESPNcricinfo's Powerplay podcast. "It was great to win one, but to be able to defend it with Melie as captain as well, I think that'd just be a really special way to have a send-off for her and for the three of us that have been doing it a long time."
After lifting the trophy as Player of the Tournament in Dubai in 2024, Kerr revealed that when she was still in school she wrote assignments about winning a World Cup with her senior team-mates. If ever there was a story of successful role models inspiring the next generation, this is it.
Now there is a sense that both generations want to wring every drop from being together at this tournament.
"It's nice to have two other older players at the moment; everyone's so young in the squad, so to lift that age up, but also just to really embrace that moment with two other really special friends, it doesn't happen very often," Bates said. "We've all just talked about making sure that we're always going to go out there and compete, but to really just embrace every moment that we get on and off the field."
Speaking in Derby after she played a lone hand in smashing 45 off 22 balls as New Zealand lost their opening T20I to England in the lead-up to this tournament, Devine quipped with the typical dry humour: "It makes knowing that I'm retiring a hell of a lot easier when it's that cold out there."
"But no, look, I'm just really happy and just feel really grateful," she added. "Not many athletes get the opportunity to decide when they walk away from the game and for me to be here and just soak it all up - I'm not sure how much I'll be soaking up the Derby weather on a Wednesday night - but yeah, it's pretty cool.
"Whatever happens out in the game, and it's a pretty nice perspective to be able to have, I'm one of the most competitive people going around, but it is a chance for me to just soak it up and just enjoy it for what it is, the small moments.
"Out in the middle, I'm out there to win and want to help the Kiwis win, but it's the small moments on the sidelines and the changeroom and stuff that I'll certainly try and hold onto."
Devine is still scoring runs pretty much at will. Two half-centuries as New Zealand beat South Africa 4-1 in the home T20I series in March were followed by her innings in Derby - her first international match in nearly two months - and a match-winning 87 off 57 which rescued her side from 11 for 4 in the next game against England at Canterbury. She was also the joint leading wicket-taker at this year's WPL with 17 at 16.00 and an economy rate of 8.28.
Devine is poised to continue in that vein beyond this World Cup for Welsh Fire, having earned the joint-highest price tag at this year's Hundred auction alongside Australia's Beth Mooney (Trent Rockets) at a massive £210,000 each.
That she can be successful into her late 30s - Devine will turn 37 in September - is something 38-year-old Bates strongly believes in.
"People do look at the numbers sometimes," Bates said. "But for me, sometimes I forget how old I am while playing with this group. Maybe you have to work a little bit harder on your fitness and recovery to stay at that level, but for me, there should be no limits and no barriers.
"It makes me so proud talking to the group now. They talk about when they can have kids during their career to come back and play and have their children be able to watch their journey. So it's just really special that at 38, for 20 years, I've been able to play at this level and I honestly believe that my age has nothing to do with it, really.
"You see Jimmy Anderson playing into his 40s, LeBron James, who I've always looked up to, into his 40s. Girls and women just need to keep banging down those walls because there's absolutely no reason physically you can't stay in that shape if you put the work in and keep up with the younger players.
"I'd love to see some of the players that I've played with around the world go into their 40s. If you look at someone like Ellyse Perry (35), there's absolutely no reason why - she's smashed down walls all her career - so she can go as long as she wants, in my opinion."
Tahuhu, 35, is looking forward to taking "some time out and be a mum" after she retires. Her wife, former New Zealand allrounder Amy Satterthwaite, retired in 2022, disappointed after being overlooked for a central contract, saying she believed she "still had more to offer". Satterthwaite had returned to international cricket after giving birth to their daughter, Grace, and the couple have since had a son, Louie.
"For me, it's probably just an ageing stage," Tahuhu said of her decision to retire. "I've been playing for 15 years, which is a really long time. I've got two young kids at home as well. It's just a little bit of the time feels right.
"In terms of the team itself, I feel like we're in a really good place. We've built some depth, particularly in that pace bowling. I'm looking forward to sitting back like I did during the one-day series (against England) and watching that next generation really take their opportunities."
Having taken 3 for 15 in the fifth and final T20I against South Africa, Tahuhu played only once against England, in Canterbury, during their pre-World Cup tour. During the ODI series with England, young seamers Rosemary Mair and Bree Illing were New Zealand's leading bowlers and Illing was also their best through the T20Is.
Bates, meanwhile, is searching for runs after a quiet series against England. She batted only once in the T20Is, scoring 3 as an opener in the third game at Hove, having dropped down the order in Derby to give Georgia Plimmer and Izzy Gaze time together at the top. In the ODIs which preceded that series, she scored just 6 and 12 in the two completed games while opening the batting, which she also did in reaching 45 off 39 against Bangladesh in a World Cup warm-up last weekend.
Bates batted sparingly in the home series against South Africa - her first international matches since last year's 50-over World Cup - as the White Ferns set about future-proofing their top-order but she also got to unfurl her medium pace coming back from a quadriceps injury suffered during the domestic season in November. It was that injury which played a part in Bates' decision to retire.
"I never thought I would know when the right time was because of how much I've just loved playing for the White Ferns and there's always something exciting to look forward to," Bates said. "The injury break that I had over our domestic summer and coming back from that, it sort of took 16 weeks I think they gave me before I was back on the park.
"I had time to sit back and just reflect on my career and what was left to achieve. And it just felt like with where the group is going, where my mind and body is at, that I wanted to give this one last big effort. Then it felt after the World Cup, I'd never really thought about the next thing, so subconsciously, I'd probably made that decision.
"To have a World Cup in England, I've always loved playing my cricket in England. I've spent so much time over here and I know how good the crowds are going to be. So that excited me. That's just a decision that felt easy in the end because it just felt right.
"I haven't had to play my last game or walk away from the team yet, so that's probably when the emotions will come out."
Whenever New Zealand exit this tournament, Bates isn't the only one who will need a box of tissues nearby.