Kane Williamson retired from T20 International. (Photo-PTI)
Kane Williamson Retires From T20I: Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from T20I cricket after a long career of 14 years. New Zealand Cricket Board gave this information on social media. Kane Williamson made his debut in this shorter format in the year 2011. With this, the speculations going on for a long time about his future have now come to an end. However, this veteran batsman has made it clear that he will continue playing ODI and Test cricket for New Zealand.
What did Kane Williamson say?
Announcing retirement from T20I kane williamson Said, “This is something I have loved being a part of for a long time and I am very grateful for these memories and experiences. This is the right time for me and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series ahead and their next major goal, the T20I World Cup.”
He further said that New Zealand has a lot of T20 talent and the next round will be important to make these players aware of cricket and prepare them for the World Cup. Williamson may have retired from T20I cricket, but he will continue to play in T20 leagues around the world.
What did New Zealand Cricket say?
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO Scott Wennink said, “We have made it clear to Kane that he has our full support as he reaches the final stages of his illustrious career.” He further said that we would certainly love to see him play for as long as possible, but there is no doubt that whenever he decides to retire – he will be known as a legend of New Zealand cricket. Williamson is the second highest run scorer for New Zealand in T20Is.
Kane’s performance in T20I
Kane has scored 2,575 runs in 93 T20I matches at an average of 33.44. This includes 18 half-centuries. He played in 75 matches new zealand team Has captained. Of these, Black Caps have won 39 matches. Under his captaincy, the New Zealand team reached the semi-finals of the T20I World Cup in 2016 and 2022, whereas Williamson and Company had to face defeat in the final of the 2021 T20I World Cup.
Kane Williamson’s best innings in T20I came in the T20I World Cup final in the year 2021. When Williamson scored 85 runs on only 48 balls against Australia. At that time his team was making a slow start by batting first. Although his team lost, Kane reminded everyone that he could play his shots if needed.