Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\nHe played in the Black Caps\u2019 defeat in the first Test at Lord\u2019s, making 0 and 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it\u2019s become clear now is the right time,\u201d the 35-year-old former skipper said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket, and I take pride in knowing I\u2019ve given it my all in every match I\u2019ve played for New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cContinuing with anything less wouldn\u2019t be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI leave feeling optimistic about where this group is heading. There\u2019s a huge amount of talent, and a real desire to do something special with this New Zealand team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a team I love, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of it for so long. It will continue to be dear to my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williamson will not have a farewell Test, meaning he has withdrawn mid-series against England. <\/p>\n
The sudden exit means he also will not surpass 10,000 Test runs, instead astonishingly calling time with less than 500 runs to go (9,515 runs at 54.06). <\/p>\n
Williamson made his international debut in 2010 and played 378 games for his country, finishing as New Zealand\u2019s all-time leading run-scorer with 19,346 including 48 centuries and six double-centuries. <\/p>\n
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson celebrates scoring a double century (200 runs) during the fourth day of the first Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National stadium in Karachi on December 29, 2022. (Photo by Asif HASSAN \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
He played 110 Tests, smacking 33 centuries, in his way to 9,515 runs at an average of 54.06.<\/p>\n
His leadership style was much admired as he captained the side in all three formats during a golden period from 2016 to 2024.<\/p>\n
During that time, they made two World Cup finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who\u2019s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person,\u201d said New Zealand coach Rob Walter. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis numbers and batting skills speak for themselves, but it\u2019s what he means to this Black Caps team, as well as world cricket — that will be his legacy. <\/p>\n
\u201cHis impact on the culture and standards of this team will remain embedded in its DNA.\u201d Williamson\u2019s list of accolades is immense, including being named the ICC Cricketer of 2015 and Test player of the year in 2019, while also winning the domestic Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on a record four occasions. <\/p>\n
New Zealand great Hadlee hailed him as \u201ca wonderful player and fine leader\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s demonstrated a willingness to continually advance his game to the highest level in all three formats and he rightfully finishes as one of the best players of his era,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe way he prepared himself physically and mentally was perhaps the most impressive part. He was always committed to working hard and developing his technique to ensure he was ready to be a world class player. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been an unflappable leader and the architect of some of our greatest moments in cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Zealand\u2019s most prolific run-scorer and arguably greatest-ever batsman Kane Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2620,1724,689,354180,354182,43,354181,22255,17066,151589,1736,44,677,15299,354179,30401,12540,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-731847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-asia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-england-shock","tag-greatest-ever-batsman","tag-headlines","tag-immediate-retirement","tag-international-cricket","tag-joe-root","tag-kane-williamson","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-oceania","tag-pakistan","tag-prolific-run-scorer","tag-real-desire","tag-southern-asia","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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