Williamson retires ahead of T20I series against West Indies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (CMC):

KANE WILLIAMSON has announced his retirement from T20 Internationals, ruling him out of the upcoming T20I series against West Indies, which begins on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old has featured in 93 T20Is for New Zealand since his debut in October 2011 and retires as New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer in the format, with 2,575 runs at an average of 33.44, including 18 fifties and a highest score of 95.

While Williamson will not feature in the five-match T20I series against the Windies and is also unlikely to play in the following three-match ODI series, he has made himself available for the three-Test series, which begins on December 2.

Widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best batsmen, it also means Williamson will miss out on next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February.

He last featured in a T20I for the Black Caps in June 2024, against Papua New Guinea.

“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.

“It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series moving forward and ahead of their next major focus which is the T20 World Cup.

“There’s so much T20 talent there, and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup,” he added.

New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Scott Weenink said Williamson had earned the right to decide how he finished 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.

“We would, of course, love to see him play for as long as possible, but there’s no doubt whenever he does decide to finally call time, he will go down as a legend of New Zealand cricket,” Weenink said.