Williamson Retires from T20s, Focuses on Tests

Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from T20 internationals after a 13-year, 93‑match T20I career to concentrate on Test cricket and family life. He finishes as New Zealand’s second‑highest T20 run‑scorer with 2,575 runs at an average of 33.44, including 18 half‑centuries and a top score of 95, and captained the side 75 times, leading them to the 2021 World Cup final and semi‑finals in 2016 and 2022. Williamson will skip upcoming white‑ball fixtures, including the West Indies T20/ODI series, to prepare for Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield on Nov. 26 and for a three‑Test series in Christchurch beginning Dec. 2. He holds a casual New Zealand Cricket contract that permits franchise opportunities, has handed over white‑ball captaincy to Mitchell Santner, and said he will “support from afar” as younger T20 players are blooded. New Zealand Cricket and CEO Scott Weenink publicly backed his decision, which follows a period of workload management and minor injuries and leaves open the prospect of a prolonged Test (and potentially ODI) career.