Veteran New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor has announced that he will be retiring from international cricket at the end of the Bangladesh series. Taylor said the two-Test series against Bangladesh starting on Saturday will be his last in Tests and he will bring down the curtains on his ODI career after the series’ against Australia and the Netherlands in February and March.
Taylor has been one of the mainstays of the New Zealand side since 2006 amassing plenty of records and achievements, notably the most runs by a New Zealander (18,074) and most appearances (445).
"It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have," he said.
"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.”
Among Taylor's achievements are the most Test runs by a Kiwi (7,584), most ODI runs (8,581) most ODI centuries for NZ (21), most 100s in all formats (40), the first player from any country to make 100 international appearances in each of the three formats, and the highest Test score in Australia by a visiting player (290 at Perth 2015).
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will not be available for the Bangladesh series due to injury, said Taylor had given a lot to the team over the years.
"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," Williamson said.
"We've shared some pretty cool moments together –- most recently the World Test Championship final, which was obviously really special."
Taylor had hit the winning runs for New Zealand when they won the World Test Championship earlier in 2021 against India in Southampton. It was NZ’s first ICC title as well.
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