Ross Taylor set to retire from international cricket at the end of New Zealand’s home season
New Zealand’s veteran batsman Ross Taylor has announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of their home season with ODIs against the Netherlands. Taylor has scored 7584 runs in 110 Tests, 8581 runs in 233 ODI matches and 1909 runs from 102 T20Is in his 15 year long career.
New Zealand have been a promising team in the last few years and have been performing well in all formats of the sport. One of their most experienced batsmen, Ross Taylor has announced that he will retire at the conclusion of home summer. Taylor began his career with an ODI against West Indies in March 2006.
Taylor revealed on Thursday that the upcoming two match Test series against Bangladesh will be his last Test fixture. He will equal Daniel Vettori’s record of 112 Tests for New Zealand. He also revealed that he will bring the curtains down on his career with ODI series against Australia and Netherlands. The fourth ODI against Netherlands on April 4 will be his last appearance in limited overs.
"It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have. 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,” Taylor said.
"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."
Taylor became the first international player to play 100 matches in each format and finished with a plenty of records for the national team. He has the highest aggregate of runs (18,074), appearances (445) and hundreds (40) across the formats for New Zealand. Taylor has 7584 Test runs and 8581 ODI runs to his name. He also added a trophy to his career by hitting the winning runs against India in the final of the World Test Championship. Kane Williamson praised the achievements of his long time batting partner.
"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'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. 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.”
"It's a really exciting time for Ross when he can reflect on so many amazing moments throughout his career and I know all the guys are also looking forward to sharing the occasions with him as he is such a special player to this team."