New Zealand cricket stalwart Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from international cricket after a 16-year career. The 35-year-old emotionally reflected on his journey, finishing as NZ's all-time leading international run-scorer.
New Zealand stalwart Kane Williamson reflected on his 16-year long journey as a Black Caps cricketer as he announced retirement from international cricket on Friday, saying that "it's been special and I've loved it."
Williamson's announcement brings down curtains to an international career that saw him play 378 international games for New Zealand. The 35-year-old finishes as New Zealand's all-time leading international run-scorer with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double-centuries according to the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) website.
'It's been special and I've loved it'
In a video uploaded by NZC on Instagram, Williamson reflected emotionally on his journey with the New Zealand team, saying he deeply cherishes being part of the squad and the strong bonds formed over time. He recalled both the highs and lows of his career, noting how the experiences strengthened him, and described representing New Zealand as a lifelong dream. "It's been special and I've loved it. It's a team that I love and it's so dear to my heart. You know, it's been such a massive part of my life and team sport is a pretty special thing. You know, you get a bond with these people around you for such a long period of time and have some really amazing experiences. So they're the sorts of thoughts that come back: the achievements, the good days, the tough days that toughen you up and make you a bit stronger. That's the highlight for me, being a Black Cap. Not just representing your country, which you think a lot about as a youngster and fulfilling a dream, but doing something so much more," he said.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by BLACKCAPS (@blackcapsnz) Williamson's last assignment for New Zealand came during the 1st Test of the ongoing three-match series against England, at Lord's in London, where he scored a duck in the first innings and contributed 18 runs in the second. New Zealand eventually faced a 115-run loss in the Test.
A Celebrated Captain
Alongside his numbers as a batter, Williamson's captaincy and leadership style were also much admired, as he led the Black Caps in all three formats during the period from 2016-2024, where they made two ICC World Cup finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021. As a captain, Williamson led New Zealand in 40 Tests, registering 22 wins, 10 losses, and 8 draws, second only to Stephen Fleming, who has 28 wins from 80 Tests. In 91 ODIs under his leadership, New Zealand recorded 46 wins, 40 losses, 1 tie, and 4 no-results, again second to Fleming's 98 wins from 218 ODIs. He holds the record for the most T20I wins by a New Zealand captain with 39 victories in 75 matches.
Custodian of the Cap
Williamson said that representing the national team is about being a custodian of the "cap," where players come and go but should aim to leave the team in a better place. "You come into the side and you understand what being a custodian of the cap is, and that you come and you go and you want to leave it in a better place and do everything you can to help move the team forward. And it's about the time that you have and absolutely giving it everything to leave it in a better place," Williamson said.
Excited for the Future
Williamson said that after around 16 years in the team, he sees strong talent and depth in the current squad and is excited about its future. "Having been in this team for about 16 years, and you look across the current squad that we have and I see it's just such a huge amount of talent and depth as well, which is you know, it's just so exciting for the future. And they'll have all their challenges and things that they have in front of them, which is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to seeing where this team can go now," he said. (ANI)
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