With more than 40 years of cricket experience between them, Clare Shillington and Ciara Metcalfe are about to take their final bow playing in the green.
For both, the road has been a challenging one, but neither would change a thing.
Ireland will play their final Women's World Twenty20 group match on Saturday. Australia, Pakistan and India have all eased past the Irish, who will almost certainly finish bottom of Group B, but it will still be an emotional swansong for the long-serving pair.
"To be honest I’m trying not to think about the fact it’s my last game too much," said Belfast-born opening batter Shillington, who debuted in 1997.
"I’m just trying to stay focused on that we’re here to do a job. Obviously it would be nice for everyone, not just because it’s my last game, but for everyone to finish on a high and push New Zealand as far as we can.
"I remember when I got my 100th cap I said it [cricket] was a love-hate relationship, but the good days by far outweigh the bad days. I don't think you can ever not enjoy putting on an Irish shirt and representing your country.
"We’ve come so far, it's really become an elite environment, the facilities we have for training are amazing. 21 years is a long time. I was 16 when I started, so a lot has changed."
When asked about the next step in her career, she joked: "To be a pro-golfer! No, seriously, the next step is coaching. It's part of easing the pain of retiring is knowing you'll still be around the set up.
"I'm a coach in Pembroke and I hope to stay on even do a bit of coaching in Cricket Ireland. I'm hoping to not be too far away from the game and hoping to help the next crop of young players come through. Maybe I can be a mentor as well as a coach."
And on the future of Irish women’s cricket?
"The current squad is looking good. Obviously we have Ciara and I retiring after the next game, we've been around for a long time, but there are already new players coming through pushing us out - the way things are going I think we might have been pushed out soon enough anyway.
"I do think it's looking good, but I do think we need to expand what we're doing at home, and we need to grow the game as much as we can. I think that is happening but we need to do it at a faster rate.
"But I think the immediate future is good, we have some younger players who have been in the system for a while, and they're ready to come up and take those spots that are now free."
Dublin-born leg-spinner Metcalfe, who debuted in 1999 for Ireland, added: "As a team we're doing a little bit better each game and there is still lots to get out of this tournament. As for retiring, I'm really excited and a little bit sad but I'm trying to get through the game first and then I'll deal with all the emotions of it.
"It's been eventful - I've definitely done it my way. It hasn't been plain sailing. It's been up and down, I’ve been in the team and out of the team, fit and not fit, in form and out of form, but I wouldn't change one minute of it.
"I've enjoyed it, it has been life changing, I've travelled the world and made some great friends. It's been a great journey."
