Cricket Fraternity reacts to Kane Williamson retirement [Source: AFP]Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from international cricket. The legendary New Zealand batter has opted out of completing his team’s ongoing three-match Test series in England. Aged just 35, the prolific right-handed batter played the series-opening first Test at Lord’s earlier this month, registering scores of 0 and 18 as New Zealand stumbled to a huge 115-run defeat. Regardless of his latest failure, Williamson concluded his international career as New Zealand’s most proficient run-maker in Tests, and their leading century-maker across all forms of the game. His sudden retirement announcement sparked a wave of congratulatory messages from various corners of the cricketing fraternity. ICC chairman Jay Shah was among those who paid tribute to the outbound New Zealander, hailing his remarkable career and lasting impact on the game. Cricket fraternity congratulates Kane WilliamsonKane Williamson announced his shock retirement from international cricket while speaking on New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday, June 12. Soon after the announcement, the 35-year-old received many congratulatory messages from various corners of the cricketing fraternity. Also Read- 5 Kane Williamson Records That Will Be Tough To BreakICC chairman Jay Shah, prominent commentator Harsha Bhogle, Williamson’s former IPL franchise SRH as well as ex-IPL teammate and Antipodean rival David Warner were among the notable figures who congratulated the Kiwi great on an illustrious international career. Here is a look at how the cricketing fraternity reacted to the retirement of Kane Williamson.BLACKCAPS @BLACKCAPS "It's a team I love and it's so dear to my heart" Thank you for the memories, Kane 🖤🤍 Jun 12, 2026, 3:34 PM Jay Shah @JayShah Congratulations to Kane Williamson on an exceptional international career built on class, humility, and outstanding leadership. Your achievements as the ICC Men's @CricketWorldCup 2019 Player of the Tournament and the captain of New Zealand's historic ICC World Test Jun 12, 2026, 5:52 PM Johns. @CricCrazyJohns David Warner's Instagram post for Kane Williamson 🥹 🧡 - THE SRH BOYS...!!!! Jun 12, 2026, 4:42 PM Harsha Bhogle @bhogleharsha This is so typical of Kane Williamson. Just a quiet exit away from the spotlight. One of the finest players of his era, arguably the best batter to emerge from NZ and an outstanding person. Humble, dignified and universally respected. Jun 12, 2026, 4:43 PM Chennai Super Kings @ChennaiIPL A treat to watch every time he bats. Whistles to a wonderful career, Kane. Your class will stand tall in the game forever. 🙌✨ #WhistlePodu 📸 : ICC / New Zealand Cricket Jun 12, 2026, 5:15 PM SunRisers Hyderabad @SunRisers An absolute legend, and forever our Kane mama 🧡 Many congratulations on an amazing career 👏 Jun 12, 2026, 5:08 PM Williamson explains why he retired mid-seriesKane Williamson explained why he retired midway into New Zealand’s three-match away Test series against hosts England. He said “It just feels like the right time for me to step away.”The 35-year-old added “When I look at the dressing room now and I see the talent, and the journey that I think this team's looking to go on, it just feels like the right time for me to step away. I feel really good about it. It's funny when you reflect on so much, but all good things come to an end, and it's the change of seasons.”Kane Williamson retires as New Zealand’s most prolific batterThe former New Zealand captain concluded his Test career with 9,515 runs in 195 innings spanning 110 Tests at a prolific average of 54.06, the highest among all Test batters in the country. The cricketer also aggregated 19,346 runs in international cricket to mark the highest among all New Zealand batters in history. He punched out 48 hundreds in his career, including 33 tons in Test cricket alone. The right-handed batter was also New Zealand’s fourth most successful batter in ODIs, and the second highest run-maker in T20I matches.Under the leadership of Williamson, New Zealand won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, and reached the final of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup and the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. He was also a part of the New Zealand team that reached the final of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. Also Read- Rohit Sharma Suffers Another Injury Scare before Afghanistan ODI
