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Former New Zealand cricket captain has sensationally announced his retirement from all international cricket, in the middle of the ongoing Test series with England. Williamson, 35, was a former captain of his country in all three formats of the game, including the memorable and heartbreaking 2019 World Cup final defeat at the hands of England.

Four years earlier, it was Australia that got the better of them, that too in the ODI World Cup final.

Famed for his resolve and superb temperament, Williamson took over the captaincy from Ross Taylor and transformed The Black Caps into a side that would regularly reach the latter stages of tournaments.

In the limited-overs formats, New Zealand would fall short on several occasions by reaching semi-finals and even a couple of finals. The Black Caps would have more joy in the longer format.

The newly introduced World Test Championship in 2021 saw New Zealand defeat India in the final to lift the trophy in the first edition of the new test format. Kane Williamson leaves the international arena having scored 9,515 runs in tests, which included 33 tons, as well as six double-centuries.

To put things really into perspective, Williamson retires as New Zealand’s leading all-format run-scorer, with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double-centuries, in 378 appearances between 2010 and 2026. That’s some record. He will be a tough act to follow.

Having developed his game, such is his professionalism, it appears the 35-year-old will be playing franchise T20 cricket across the world.