Published on: Nov 3, 2025 5:09 pm IST|Updated on: Nov 3, 2025 5:09 pm IST
One of New Zealand’s most prolific batters, Kane Williamson, has decided to hang up his boots in the shortest format of the game. With this decision, the 35-year-old has brought the curtains down on his 93-match career. He signs off with the most runs in this format for his side, accumulating 2575 runs at an average of 33 and a strike-rate of 122.98.
Addressing his retirement from the shortest format of the game, Williamson said,
“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. 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. Mitch [Santner] is a brilliant captain and leader, he’s really come into his own with this team. It’s now their time to push the forward in this format and I’ll be supporting from afar.”
Williamson’s illustrious career saw him leading the Blackcaps in 75 T20Is out of the 93 he played in his career. His biggest achievement as the skipper of the T20I side was reaching the final of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, where they lost to trans-Tasman rivals Australia. Besides the 2021 final, New Zealand reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cups in 2016 and 2022 as well.
“I’ve got such deep care for this team,” he said. “The BlackCaps is a special place and one you want to give yourself to and get the most out of yourself for. It’s a journey and a pursuit, and that’s what I love about the international game and this environment. I’ll continue to keep the lines of communication open with Rob [Stead] and NZC who have given me a huge amount of support throughout.”
His last appearance in the format was against Papua New Guinea in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. Unfortunately, New Zealand was eliminated in the group stage of this World Cup.
Rolling down the curtains on his distinguished career, check out multiple tables capturing Kane Williamson’s legacy in the shortest format.
Kane Williamson’s T20I career was defined by elegance, adaptability, and leadership. Whether anchoring chases or setting up totals, he remained New Zealand’s most reliable presence at the crease. His retirement marks the end of an era, but his legacy will continue to inspire future Kiwi batters.
He may have retired from T20Is, but Kane Williamson remains available for the other two formats, i.e., ODI and Test matches. As far as T20s are concerned, he will be playing T20 franchise cricket around the globe as the leading run scorer for the Blackcaps across formats. His next international assignment is a three-match home Test series against West Indies beginning from December 2 in Christchurch.