Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson announced a shocking international retirement on Friday, June 12 as he ended an illustrious career with the Blackcaps. Williamson’s announcement comes in the middle of New Zealand’s ongoing Test series against England, meaning that he won’t play a part in the remainder of the two Test matches.
“Iโve thought about it for a while, but over the last few days itโs become clear now is the right time. Iโve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket, and I take pride in knowing Iโve given it my all in every match Iโve played for New Zealand. Continuing with anything less wouldnโt be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms,” Williamsonโs statement read.
The Kiwi start ends his international career holding some records which might stay intact for a pretty long time. Here we take a look at some of those milestones.
1 – Most runs and centuries for New Zealand in Test cricket: Williamson holds the record for the most runs by a New Zealand player in Test cricket. The 35-year-old has made 9515 runs in 110 matches at an average of 54.06 with 33 centuries and 38 half tons. The next most runs for New Zealand in Test cricket belongs to the retired Ross Taylor, who scored 7683 runs in 112 matches.
He has also hit the most centuries for New Zealand in Test cricket: 33. The next best is Taylor with 19 such scores and the next best active player is the current captain Tom Latham, who has 16 centuries.
2 – Most international runs and centuries for New Zealand: Williamson also holds the milestone of having scored most international runs and international centuries for the Blackcaps. The former skipper has made 19346 runs in 378 matches at an average of 48.12. The next best in this list is Taylor (18199) and the next best active player is Latham (11358).ย
He also holds the record for most international tons by a New Zealander, having made 48 centuries with Taylor second again and Latham the next best active player with 24 such scores.
3 – Fastest to 9000 Test runs: Williamson also holds the record for the fastest New Zealand player to have hit 9000 runs in Test cricket. He got to the feat in just 182 innings. Overall, he is the eighth-fastest to the milestone in the world, with Kumar Sangakkara leading the list, having achieved it in 172 innings.
4 – Best win record for New Zealand captain: He also holds the best record by a New Zealand captain in Test cricket. He led them in 40 Tests, helping the Blackcaps win 22 of those, while drawing eight and losing only 10. This makes his win/loss the best among the New Zealand captains, boasting a W/L record of 2.200. His win percentage is also the joint-best among all New Zealand captains: 55%, which is the same for Latham too.
5 – Most runs by a New Zealand captain in ODI assignment: The 35-year-old also holds the record for having scored the most runs by a New Zealand captain in an ODI assignment. He made 578 runs in the 2019 World Cup. The next best is held by Martin Crowe, who made 456 runs in nine innings in the 1992 World Cup as skipper.
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