Williamson ends New Zealand career in middle of series with England

Kane Williamson retired from all international cricket on December 20, 2023, withdrawing from New Zealand's ongoing Test series against Australia. Williamson, who is New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer, stated that the decision was made to allow him to focus on his family and explore other cricket opportunities. He has played 165 international matches for New Zealand across all formats, scoring 8,628 runs in 107 Test matches, 170 One Day Internationals (ODIs) with 6,715 runs, and 87 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) with 2,464 runs. Williamson's career highlights include captaining New Zealand to victory in the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 and leading the team to the final of the 2019 ODI World Cup. He has also been a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise. The New Zealand Cricket board acknowledged Williamson's significant contributions and expressed their full support for his decision. His absence will be felt keenly by the Blackcaps as they continue their international schedule.