New Zealand’s batting giant Ross Taylor will bring an end to his international career after the ongoing home season that began in an ODI in Napier against West Indies in March 2006. The 37-year-old Taylor currently has 110 Tests under his belt and is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in both red-ball format and ODIs.
Taylor had previously spoken about playing the 2023 ODI World Cup but has decided that now is the time to put curtains and not be available for the South Africa Tests later in the season.
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
The upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh will be his last in the New Zealand whites. Ross Taylor’s final Test will be at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch and will take his tally of appearances to 112, tying him with Daniel Vettori for the most Tests played by a New Zealand cricketer.
“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.
“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. 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 Black Caps this summer,” Ross Taylor added.
Ross Taylor, who became the first cricketer to play 100 matches across formats currently aggregates 18074 runs from 445 matches, including 40 centuries.
Taylor said he would remain available for Central Districts until the end of the season before making a decision on whether to continue playing domestic cricket.
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