Veteran New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has announced that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the home season. The 2-Test match series against Bangladesh will be his last series in the longest format while the ODI series against Australia and Netherlands will be his last assignments in shorter formats.
The 37-year old currently holds the record of leading run-scorer for New Zealand in both Tests and ODIs. He was also the first-ever player from any country to play 100 games in each of three international formats.
Taylor also led New Zealand in 14 Tests, 20 ODIs, and 13 T20Is.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have,” Taylor said in a statement.
“It’s been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way,” he added further.
In 110 Tests he scored 7584 runs with an average of 44.87 which included 19 hundreds while in 233 ODI he scored 8581 runs with an average of 48.20. His tally of 21 ODI hundreds is the highest by any Kiwi batter. He also represented New Zealand in 102 T20Is and scored 1909 runs with 7 fifties.
Today I'm announcing my retirement from international cricket at the conclusion of the home summer, two more tests against Bangladesh, and six odi’s against Australia & the Netherlands. Thank you for 17 years of incredible support. It’s been an honour to represent my country #234 pic.twitter.com/OTy1rsxkYp
— Ross Taylor (@RossLTaylor) December 29, 2021
“But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me. I want to thank my family, friends and all those who have helped me get to this point,” he said.
“There’ll be plenty of time for more thank-yous and reflections later in the season – but for now I want all my energy and focus to be on preparing and performing for the BLACKCAPS this summer,” he said.
Taylor made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies at Napier while he received his Test cap at Johannesburg next year as 234th player to represent New Zealand in the longest format. He is the most capped player for New Zealand with 445 appearances in his name combining all three formats. His innings of 290 at Perth in 2015 is still the highest score by any visiting batter down under.
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