\u201cI\u2019ve thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it\u2019s become clear now is the right time,” Williamson said. <\/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
![\"Kane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kane-williamson-UAQ6QHAN6BEBROAKW52UBKYCEQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Kane Williamson of the Black Caps during Day 1 of the first Test cricket match, New Zealand Vs West Indies, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand. 2nd December, 2025. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n
Williamson led the Black Caps to two ICC World Cup Finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021.<\/p>\n
Across his international career, Williamson has played 40 tests, 91 ODIs, and 75 T20Is. <\/p>\n
He was named ICC Cricketer of 2015 and Test Player of 2019, also winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal four times. <\/p>\n
He debuted for the Black Caps in 2010, retiring from T20Is in November. <\/p>\n
Williamson said he was “optimistic” about the future of the Black Caps without him. <\/p>\n
“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
![\"Kane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/kane-williamson-QCDWWWEBPNBLRAL6Z5HGCUP3BE.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Kane Williamson. (Source: Photosport)<\/p>\n
Coach Rob Walter said he had nothing but “respect and admiration” for Williamson. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who\u2019s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough it\u2019s been short-lived, it\u2019s been a real privilege to watch him go about his work and listen to his thoughts and views on the team and the game itself.”<\/p>\n
He said Williamson’s had an impact on the culture and standards of New Zealand cricket. <\/p>\n
\u201cKane\u2019s always put the team first, and although we\u2019re disappointed to see him go, we\u2019re happy to know he\u2019s content and at peace with his decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn incredible player, awesome teammate, a wonderful leader and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.”<\/p>\n
Williamson\u2019s retirement means he will not play in any of the upcoming games as part of the Black Caps’ current test series in England. <\/p>\n
A replacement player would be confirmed “in due course”. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from international cricket. In a statement last night, New Zealand Cricket said…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":733717,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,111197,740,85],"class_list":["post-733716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-black-caps","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733716","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=733716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/733717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}