New Zealand’s beloved cricketer and the backbone of the Black Caps for over a decade, Kane Williamson, has retired from T20 internationals. While it marks the end of an admirable 13-year T20I career, a 35-year-old Kiwi has vowed to don his national colors in the Test cricket format in the future, with a home series against West Indies in December.
Having made his T20I debut in 2011, Williamson appeared in 93 matches and scored 2,575 runs at an average of 33.44 with the help of 18 fifties. It was while walking to the middle as captain of the national team that he made 75 appearances. During his captaincy, the NZ team participated in two World Cup semi-finals in 2016 and 2022 and the World Cup final in 2021. That day, he showed everyone what a good captain he is, scoring 85 runs in the final against Australia. Although his side lost the game, it is still one of the best performances of a New Zealand player in T20 cricket.
After playing cricket for many years, Williamson’s future playing was cast in doubt in recent months. Indeed, the cricket player missed New Zealand’s T20I series against Australia earlier this year. Even though Williamson was available for 3-0 ODI sweep over England, he missed the first T20I series because of a groin injury that occurred. In December 2020, Williamson suggested that he might need to continue his cricketing commitments after spending time with his family’s birth of his first child in November despite not mentioning retirement.
“Playing T20 cricket for New Zealand has been such an enjoyable experience, but right now, it feels like the right time for me and the team,” Williamson stated. “We have plenty of young players in the team, and this is a great chance for them to shine and expand in the T20 format ahead of the next World Cup.” His former coach, Rob Walter talked as if summing up Williamson’s career.
Walter described him as “a splendid team man” and listed his impact on the squad beyond the amount of runs he had scored and captaincy. The same opinion was shared by Scott Weenink, NZC chief executive, who reckoned that “we’ll never see his like again” and called him “a true shiny legend of New Zealand cricket.”
“It looks like New Zealand’s T20 era will begin with Mitchell Santner captaining the white-ball squad and Rachin Ravindra batting at No. 3 instead of Williamson. Williamson’s next stop will undoubtedly be for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield at the conclusion of the month, preparing for the West Indies Test series – a form he has always cherished. Williamson’s T20I pipe dream has fallen through. Still, his unwavering calm, elegance, and devotion guarantee that his legend remains undimmed in New Zealand cricket.”