Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from T20 Internationals to concentrate on his One Day and Test career, bringing an end to a remarkable 93-match T20I journey.
New Zealand Cricket confirmed that Kane Williamson, 35, will miss the upcoming white-ball series against West Indies to prepare for the three-Test series in December. His decision comes just months before the next T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February.
Williamson made his T20I debut in 2011 and captained New Zealand on 75 occasions, leading the BlackCaps to two ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals in 2016 and 2022 and a final in 2021. He retires as New Zealand’s second-highest men’s T20I run-scorer with 2,575 runs at an average of 33, including 18 half-centuries and a highest score of 95.
“It’s something that I’ve loved being a part of for a long period of time and I’m so grateful for the memories and experiences,” Williamson said in a statement. “It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity moving forward ahead of their next major focus, which is the T20 World Cup.”
He praised his successor Mitch Santner, saying, “Mitch is a brilliant captain and leader — he’s really come into his own with this team. It’s now their time to push the BlackCaps forward in this format, and I’ll be supporting from afar.”
Williamson, New Zealand’s all-time leading run-scorer across formats, said he remains open-minded about his ODI and Test future, with his immediate focus on preparing for the three-Test series against West Indies beginning in Christchurch on December 2.
“I’ve got such deep care for this team. The BlackCaps is a special place and one you want to give yourself to and get the most out of yourself for,” he said. “I’ll continue to keep the lines of communication open with Rob and NZC, who have given me a huge amount of support.”
New Zealand Cricket CEO Scott Weenink praised Williamson’s immense contribution to the T20 side. “Kane’s performances as a player and his service as captain of the T20 side have been nothing short of immense. His knock of 85 in the T20 World Cup final was one of the more special innings by a New Zealander, albeit in a losing cause,” he said.
Weenink added that Williamson had earned the right to decide how and when to finish his ODI and Test careers. “We’ve made it clear to Kane he has our full support as he reaches the back end of his illustrious career.”
Williamson will continue to play T20 franchise cricket.
