Kane Williamson, former New Zealand captain and one of the most beloved figures in contemporary cricket, dropped a bombshell when he announced his retirement from all international cricket on Friday, with immediate effect. This means he will not be available for the two remaining Tests against England in the ongoing series, with the Kiwis losing the first one at Lord’s by 115

'I’ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket and I take pride in knowing I’ve given it my all in every match I’ve played for New Zealand,' the 35-year-old Williamson said in a statement. 'Continuing with anything less wouldn’t be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms. I leave feeling optimistic about where this group is heading. There’s a huge amount of talent, and a real desire to do something special with this New Zealand team.'

There is no denying the fact that Williamson, the country’s highest ever international run-getter across all formats with 19,346 runs, had not been in the best of form in recent years, with injuries also robbing him valuable game-time. He is hence the first of the Fab Four ot batters of this generation comprising Virat Kohli, Williamson, Steve Smith and Joe Root to call time from all formats as Kohli is still in the mix for ODIs.

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The graceful batter made his debut in the longest format against India in November 2010 in Ahmedabad and played 110 Tests in all, scoring 9,515 runs at an average of 54.06. He is New Zealand’s all-time leading international rungetter with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double-centuries across all formats.

Williamson led the Kiwis as captain across formats between 2016 and 2024, leading the Test side for 40 matches and guided them to the title in the 2021 World Test Championship — beating India in the final. He won 22 Tests, and scored 11 hundreds as captain before stepping down from the role in 2022. His list of accolades includes being named the ICC Cricketer of 2015 and Test player of 2019, while winning the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on a record four occasions.

Kiwi coach Rob Walter said in a tribute: “Anyone who’s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person. Kane’s always put the team first and although we’re disappointed to see him go, we’re happy to know he’s content and at peace with his decision. He’s an incredible player, awesome teammate, a wonderful leader and a fantastic ambassador for our sport.”