Veteran New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor announced his international retirement earlier today. He is all set to bid goodbye to the game after the home Test series against Bangladesh followed by the ODIs against Australia and the Netherlands.
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.
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
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and coach Gary Stead looked back on Taylor’s stellar career for the Kiwis. Both of them were a part of his journey.
“Seeing him hit the winning runs in Southampton to help win our first ICC World title is a moment I will never forget and I’m sure it’s the same for many of the fans. I know Ross is really focused on performing well in these remaining series and going out on the right note” said coach Gary Stead.
“Ross has been at the core of the side for so long and can be extremely proud of having brought the game in this country to a better place,” he said. “He’s a world class player, our best with the bat over such a long period of time and personally it’s been a pleasure to be involved in so many partnerships with him across the formats.
We Have Shared Some Cool Moments Together: Kane Williamson on Ross Taylor
“We’ve shared some pretty cool moments together – most recently the World Test Championship Final which was obviously really special. As a senior player and a leader in the group he’s been a fantastic support person for me, especially out there in the field being able to tap into his experience” said Kane Williamson who will miss the Test series against Bangladesh owing to his longstanding elbow injury.
Ross Taylor, who became the first cricketer to play 100 matches across formats currently aggregates 18074 runs from 445 matches, including 40 centuries.