In January, when a last-second goal earned England a tie against Australia, captain Serena Guthrie leapt from the bench and ran on to the court to celebrate with her team-mates. But the thrill of snatching a late result against their old foes was only part of the reason behind her joy. Guthrie had just found out she was pregnant with her first child.

Ahead of the big fixture, and in the middle of an intense Quad Series, England’s talismanic centre had sat in her hotel room waiting for the two lines on her pregnancy test to appear.

When they did, alongside her unbridled happiness, her thoughts turned to the team she has captained for more than three years: “My main concern – though I was really excited – was for the team,” she says, ever the professional. Once she got the all-clear from the team doctor and head coach Jess Thirlby, she decided to keep the news under wraps and play on. “It gave us an eighth player, that’s why we drew against Australia,” Thirlby jokes now. “It’s good to have two Serena Guthries on court, that’s all I’m saying.”

But Thirlby will have to get by with zero Serena Guthries on court from now on as, alongside breaking the news of her pregnancy this week, Guthrie also broke England Netball fans’ hearts by confirming her retirement from the sport.

Sitting alongside her coach and long-time friend Thirlby, she says she is still recovering from the “most overwhelming day of my life”, after thousands flocked to social media to thank her for her service after 110 England caps, one Commonwealth title and countless interceptions and game-changing moments on the court.

The woman widely considered the best centre in the world is retiring ahead of a home Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer, when England will attempt to defend the title they won in the most dramatic circumstances in 2018.

That “elephant in the room”, as Thirlby puts it, is not lost on anyone – least of all Guthrie. Her plan had been to retire after one last shot at netball’s most treasured championship. But, as she is learning with parenthood, the best laid plans do not always pan out.

“It’s something that I had to process,” Guthrie says. “The England girls are my reason for wanting to be the best I can be, I will miss them terribly. That’s a huge loss for me.”

At just 32, Guthrie’s retirement is a shock to some. Athletes are increasingly prolonging careers, and women are returning from pregnancy as strong as ever. There are a number of examples across international netball and the domestic Vitality Netball Superleague, including Eboni Usoro-Brown, Guthrie’s Team Bath and England team-mate. As an England player, Guthrie is entitled to maternity pay and support – did she consider juggling motherhood with netball?

“It was the first question I asked myself,” she says. “I came to Bath at 16, I’ve gone to multiple Commonwealths and World Cups, I’ve achieved an MBE – which still blows my mind – are there any voids I want to fill? After sitting with this news, and trying not to let it direct me, I remember waking up one day and thinking, yep, this is totally right. I’ve got nothing left to prove or to chase.”

She is keen to stress that becoming a mother did not spell the end of her career. “I don’t want people to think that all of a sudden I’m pregnant, so I have to retire. We’re seeing more pregnancies, more women confident they can become mothers and play sports. I want people to understand – this was a choice, I had all the options, and I still have. What’s so positive is pregnancy is more visible and that’s a massive step forward in our industry. It’s so empowering.”

Thirlby is quick to pay tribute. “Serena is one of, if not the, best Roses player to play the game,” she says, emotion catching in her voice. “It would be a disservice to not acknowledge her influence on the team. But it doesn’t alter my confidence in this group. It would be criminal if 2018 is the only thing that England have ever won. There’s no one player bigger than the team.”

Gold at the Commonwealths remains the team’s goal, and Guthrie will be cheering them on despite being heavily pregnant come July. Though she has been told that the door is open for her to join the England Netball, she says becoming a mother and then returning to coach at Jersey Netball – where she began her journey in the sport – are her initial plans. She will be around for the Birmingham 2022 build-up, though. “I don’t expect to be [court-side] for the competition,” she says seriously. Those moments are reserved for the 12 on the team.”

“It’s sold out anyways,” Thirlby quips. Guthrie cracks a smile. “If anyone’s got any tickets going,” she says mischievously, “…let me know.”