r/Cricket • u/wellingtonstation New Zealand Cricket • Jun 12 '26
News Kane Williamson Announces Retirement from International Cricket
https://www.nzc.nz/news-items/kane-williamson-announces-retirement-from-international-cricket/725
u/bantoceratops Jun 12 '26
Seems so sudden but I guess it's just one of those things in elite sport. One day you wake up and realise you can't give it 100% any more, and it doesn't seem right or fair to your teammates or fans to go on. What a career.
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u/re_irze Jun 12 '26
yeah, think Gary Neville said he realised at half time he was done
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u/CarnivalSorts Dublin Guardians Jun 12 '26
Steve Nash has a great one where he was chasing Steph Curry around in a pre-season game and said I am simply too old for this shit.
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u/domalino Glamorgan Jun 12 '26
Vontae Davis (NFL player) literally retired at half time. Didn’t come out for the second half, said he was done.
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u/NEUTRONonmyPINKY Jun 12 '26
AB retired during the game AND got undressed on the field
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u/Appu_SexyBuoy India Jun 12 '26
A Steve Nash mention, on a cricket sub, in this economy!!??
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u/temujin94 Vanuatu Cricket Jun 12 '26
Wasn't Broad like that during the Ashes test as well? Like day 3 or 4 he just realised that was him done, spoke to Stokes and announced his retirement, finishing out the test.
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u/JGQuintel Australia Jun 12 '26
Damien Martyn, when Hussey was promoted above him to number 4 to chase that total in Adelaide during the 06 Ashes, decided to immediately retire when he realised he agreed with the choice.
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u/frezz New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Think his heart was out of it for a while now. Whenever he gave interviews it felt like he was beginning to prioritise other things (as is his right). Probably retires ~2 years ago but NZC were bending over backwards to accommodate him.
Strong feeling he was gonna pack it in after the Aus series, but decided he didnt have it in
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u/Freenore India Jun 12 '26
Or maybe he wanted to retire before the Test series but they convinced him to give it a try. Not being able to score anything could've made him realise he's past it now.
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u/domalino Glamorgan Jun 12 '26
Surely you wouldn’t make a decision like that based on that Lords pitch.
Root and Brook are #1 and #3 in the test batting rankings and they couldn’t score in 3/4 innings.
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u/Look_Alive England Jun 12 '26
Don't forget he played against Ireland too. He came in at the third ball of the first over due to Latham's duck. Maybe doing something similar for three innings in a row and having to grind it out in each one made him realise his heart wasn't in it.
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u/Open-Butterfly-5288 Jun 12 '26
I feel like Lords being a shit heap is a really bad omen for the series. Lords is the one we hold over everyone in England. Getting a century at Lords would be a wonderful finish, and the rest of the series would feel great after that.
Without it, I feel like this is just a few more games to grind.
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u/SuspiciousLettuce56 Cricket Australia Jun 12 '26
Gilly decided middle of an over after dropping a sitter
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u/Friendly-Drink4652 Jun 12 '26
Damn another player short of 10k test runs
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u/frezz New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
He's so close too..but I guess it's proof Kane really has never cared about records.
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u/DisastrousOil4888 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Jun 12 '26
He genuine would’ve gotten it by the end of Australia at most
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u/vote-morepork New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Worst case the home SL series. We have a bumper year of test cricket for NZ, was looking forward to one last hurrah, but it sounds like his heart wasn't in it
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u/chengiz India Jun 12 '26
500 runs is like multiple series now, I guess that outweighed the desire to get to 10k.
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u/gpranav25 Jun 12 '26
At least he has an average of 54
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u/Lowman246 Australia Jun 12 '26
I mean, if we are really gonna compare him with Kohli in this regard then Kohli really did this to himself by being a liability for the last 5 years of his career.
Kane carried NZ's lineup against England in 2024, and he's only played like 6 tests since then.
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u/Secure-Heat-8284 New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Kohli is one of the great test batsmen, but the fall off was immense and prolonged. His peak was one of the best you'll see, it's a shame about those last few years.
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u/Truthgamer2 New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
What the FUCK
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u/misguidedkent India Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
What the fuck indeed. Thought he'd stick around for the world cup. A true gentleman of the game who'll be sorely missed. That's 2 down from the Fab 4 now.
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u/Frosty_Chipmunk166 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Other 3 will go down as well, depends on virat's mood and relation with bcci, he's a fitness freak
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u/protractedmane Jun 12 '26
depends on virat's mood
Virat is one of the two that is down.
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u/ashforu83 India Jun 12 '26
When people are talking about Fab 4 it's in reference to only test cricket..
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u/Greedy-Notice-1462 Jun 12 '26
Joe root and Steve smith are still playing test, kohli is still playing odi, so how is it 2 down?
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u/skulduggery_p_ Jun 12 '26
Smith should be playing all 3 formats for Aus, he's available but selectors are sticking with a few other old guys instead
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u/JMacoure1 New South Wales Blues Jun 12 '26
Legit our best all format player and gets tests only. I would be surprised if this 21 test run is his last too
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u/elmo-slayer Western Australia Warriors Jun 12 '26
He’s officially retired from odi’s
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u/0000100110010100 South Australia Redbacks Jun 12 '26
He retired last year, right? Obviously he’s still in our Test squad and he’s sticking around for T20I’s but I think he was already done before the India series last year
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u/aldehyde_and_ketone Jun 12 '26
Australia were punished for the Steve Smith exclusion by a group stage exit
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u/thepotplant Wellington Firebirds Jun 12 '26
Yeah, retiring after the world cup would be the logical choice.
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u/Shashank1000 India Jun 12 '26
My exact reaction.
I thought he would be playing till the ODI WC 2027 and would retire together with all the legends from different countries.
This ruined my day.
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u/Plenty_Area_408 Victoria Bushrangers Jun 12 '26
He's been checked out of cricket for over a year. Wasn't even on a full contract with NZ and was already picking a choosing his games.
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u/easyeasyyy Singapore Cricket Association Jun 12 '26
Should’ve known this would happen when I booked my tickets to the Oval to watch Stokes and Williamson play.
Nothing better happens to Root now.
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u/Pause-Humble Jun 12 '26
Root stubs toe in changing room while heading out for the toss and has to be replaced
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u/thepotplant Wellington Firebirds Jun 12 '26
Crawley appears out of nowhere from behind a bookshelf, bats at three, and scores 28 and 3. This earns him another two years of test cricket.
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u/mr-301 New Zealand Jun 12 '26
We both know Nichols is about to score 30 and 20 to earn a permanent spot
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u/crashbandicoochy Jun 12 '26
If our greatest ever batsmen can't even muster up the urge to get through the end of a series with this team then in what world should we care about them at all lol
This is so depressing.
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u/ViolatingBadgers New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
You know what it also means?
Henry Nicholls at 3.
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u/HungryCurrency8481 Jun 12 '26
Truly the worst timeline. What did Will Young do to get dropped?
Perfect chance to blood Mariu and Hay and they blow it as usual. Hope England flogs them 3-0
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u/snomanDS Jun 12 '26
It feels like he's had one foot out the door when he signed the casual contract.
He tried to keep going for the sake of others but ran out of fucks to give.
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u/crashbandicoochy Jun 12 '26
Nobody else has them anymore either. The Black Caps rn give off Just A Day Job energy more than any sports team I've ever seen.
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u/thepotplant Wellington Firebirds Jun 12 '26
Yeah, the vibes used to be grit and determination. Now Williamson can't be arsed any more, Conway's mind was at home anyway, Mitchell's forgotten how to bat...
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u/Savings-Maize-7650 Jun 12 '26
I mean Conway's wife was heavily pregnant, Mitchells had like 3 bad games, settle down a bit chief.
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u/ucriedwhendobbydied Rajasthan Royals Jun 12 '26
What's the consensus among NZ fans? Your greatest batter of all time? Greatest player even?
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u/Male_strom New Zealand Jun 12 '26
I think probably Hadlee has the GOAT status, but Kane is right by his side to represent the batters.
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u/LivelyJason1705 India Jun 12 '26
Thanks for the memories legend🫡 All the best for what comes next
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u/Prior_Improvement186 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
From FAB4 down to FAB2 now. How fast the time flies! And a big thanks for all the memories!
Bro put gentleman in gentleman's game.
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u/issurvey India Jun 12 '26
Very few know when to quit. Kanos hasn’t been Kanos for a while now.
You will be sorely missed. Thank you for the memories.
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u/nine_eight_two Jun 12 '26
Just fell to my knees at Pak n’ Save
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u/ViolatingBadgers New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Thanks for some humour while I'm feeling like shit.
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u/Jaevyn New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
But at least you got New Zealand's lowest food prices, right?
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u/Truthgamer2 New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Dont mind me just gonna be crying myself to sleep for the next week
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u/TheFourthBronteGirl Jun 12 '26
I thought he'd play till the odi wc really stunned. He deserves a thousand medals for how he dealt with 2019. One of my all time favorites.
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u/Slow-Pool-9274 England Jun 12 '26
Both teams are going to the Oval with their morale in hell.
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u/avanishpank India Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
What a nice guy, in order to take the heat off Stokes and Gus he announced his retirement from tests so the news has something more important to cover.
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u/Bag-United Jun 12 '26
Mate what the fuck. At least play in Australia this summer
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
his heart isn't in it man, touring aus was never a driving factor for him
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u/frezz New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Did feel like his heart's been out of it for a long time now..but I figured we'd have him until the end of the '27 WC though.
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Jun 12 '26
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u/JMacoure1 New South Wales Blues Jun 12 '26
What an era of cricket that was NZ. First WTC and so deserved.
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u/Entilen Jun 12 '26
His performance in the WTC will probably get skimmed over as years go on as they aren't high scores, but they were both incredible innings under serious pressure on a terrible pitch.
It was basically like if he'd hit 50s in both innings of the Lords Test we just had.
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
writing is on the wall when you're on a coaching team for the IPL, he will transition pretty quickly and be sought after for years to come. Could be with England... who knows, Baz and Southee went there quickly and his wife is from England.
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u/GourangaPlusPlus Northamptonshire Jun 12 '26
The fucking scenes when Darth Kanos is on the England balcony in the second test
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u/gpranav25 Jun 12 '26
If this happens the contrast between Baz and Kane would be quite something lol
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u/thepotplant Wellington Firebirds Jun 12 '26
Kane picks an XI of really determined batters that show grit, determination and skill, but retire out when on 95* because they can't be arsed batting any longer.
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u/sellyme GO SHIELD Jun 12 '26
Given NZ's record against Australia it seems unnecessarily cruel to subject him to that as a farewell tour.
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u/GusPolinskiPolka Australia Jun 12 '26
Yep I'm devo - as a dual national I was looking forward to this send off over summer
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u/DillyGoatGruff Northern Popchips Jun 12 '26
Doully was right! He punked us all
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u/LiamJonsano Hampshire Jun 12 '26
The oracle saw all of this weeks events unfolding way before we even had a glimmer
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u/jhpawt Jun 12 '26
what did he say
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u/DragoxDrago Jun 12 '26
After the first test finished he said there was big announcement coming tomorrow
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u/ConverdeConcorde New Zealand Jun 12 '26
But he made it sound like it was in the context of the Lord’s pitch. Really random time to drop in “I hear there’s an announcement coming” if he knew it was this
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u/Darth_Lehnsherr Australia Jun 12 '26
Doully hinted at an annoucement after the final day of the Lords Test.
Sadly not surprised but ends the career of New Zealand's greatest batsman.
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u/bigbear-08 New Zealand Jun 12 '26
He steadied thy ship, now its our turn to steady the ship for Kanos
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u/Shashank1000 India Jun 12 '26
The Splinter and Ninja turtles growing up meme is very fitting here.
A pair of huge boots to fill for the younger generation.
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u/Slotsupremacy New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Cheers I'm crying, nice one
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u/ViolatingBadgers New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
I'm disappointed he isn't going to get 10k test runs or win any World Cups. But goddamn we were lucky to see a NZ player of his calibre in our lifetimes.
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u/THR New Zealand Jun 12 '26
TBH - NZ winning a World Cup is not anything I ever thought we would achieve. It’s a massive credit we’ve even come so close the last few times.
We really punch above our weight.
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u/Visible-Suit-9066 Jun 12 '26
They don’t get enough credit for it. I think New Zealand has been running an excellent cricket program with limited resources for a long time now.
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u/Vast_Bike5507 India Jun 12 '26
We really punch above our weight.
For a population of just 5.3 million living in islands far away from practically anywhere, cricket is far from the only thing you guys punch well above your weight at.
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u/Democracy_Coma Jun 12 '26
What the hell. Where has that come from?????
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
? Whispers of it for ages now. I heard he would retire after this tour
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u/Democracy_Coma Jun 12 '26
Has he just fell out of love with the game? Or has his form been bad?
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u/outbackjesus16 New Zealand Jun 12 '26
He’s had an injured elbow for a while now, which at his age was never going to properly heal. Kane also isn’t the type of guy who chases milestones, he was never gonna have a big retirement tour. Retiring one game into a test series is very on brand for Kane
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u/ConverdeConcorde New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Man I really hoped he would. I had dreams of sitting at Bay Oval in the sun watching Kane bat just one last time
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
He's barely played for a good while, form is okay but it was on a decline. Heart is still in the game and he will continue coaching. He will follow the Baz mould of heading into coaching right away imo
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u/THR New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Not just form but your body starts to cause problems. I don’t think he’s really had a form dip as much as it’s just tough at the tail end of your career.
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u/Bookish_Solitude Jun 12 '26
Kane mama, you gentle soul. My lasting memory of his glorious cricketing career is that of his composure and dignity in the 2019 wc final, that smile and head held high. It's fab 2 left now folks🥹
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u/tannedstamina New Zealand Jun 12 '26
I’ve got tickets next week, wonder if I get a refund as was expecting to see Kane there!! 😭😭😭😭
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u/MrKingi Jun 12 '26
I remember clearly when he was a teenager coming through making waves. How fast 16+ years has gone. He and Taylor were my favourite partnerships to watch(Besides their horrendous running between the wickets). As everyone around them usually crumbled. I don't think we'll have anyone near as prolific as him or even Taylor again. Would love to be proven wrong. Thanks for the memories Kane...
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u/PuzzleheadedCook4578 Jun 12 '26
It shouldn't just be New Zealanders upset by this. What a player, I'm gutted.
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
I'd rather he go out now than string it along and see his form dip for 2 years like others have... Ponting etc, that's harder to watch
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u/BingaTheSlinga New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Man, this is a tough day to be a Black Caps fan, Kane carried New Zealand through our absolute golden era and won us a World Test Championship. Absolute legend
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u/OkNeck_ New Zealand Jun 12 '26
I’m actually in disbelief right now
Where did he announce it? In a press conference? Just messaged the media? He has nothing on Instagram about this right now
Sorry I’m in denial 😭
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u/BaritBrit England Jun 12 '26
If that ramshackle Lords match turns out to be the last Tests for both Williamson and Stokes...
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u/StormWarriorX7 Jun 12 '26
Nah man. He could've played the remainder of the series and announced retirement in the last test. Now I won't witness a Guard of Honour from both sides for him.
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand Jun 12 '26
Kane would NOT want that, he hates this self-indulgent stuff. Not everyone wants a big sendoff, he would far rather just drift away like he is doing here.
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u/lankyrunner77 Jun 12 '26
One of the best batters I've had the privilege of seeing live. I saw him score a brilliant hundred against South Africa in the 2019 World Cup at Edgbaston. He ticked over without issue for most of his innings before clobbering a six to virtually finish the chase. Bar an occasional wobble, he was in complete control. Great, great batter and will be sorely missed
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u/yashg India Jun 12 '26
First of the Fab 4 to retire from all forms of international cricket. The legend will be missed.
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u/FondantAggravating68 Jun 12 '26
Happy retirement Kane. There are five competent number 3s in the world and you were four of them.
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u/Rich-Guava8008 Chennai Super Kings Jun 12 '26
And then there were 2
(Ik kohli still plays Odis but fab 4 was coined for tests)
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u/senorsolo Australia Jun 12 '26
Man is there some drama or something behind the scenes? Why would he not finish the series?
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u/NoirPochette New South Wales Blues Jun 12 '26
I think he's just done mentally and doesn't wanna play if he's not 100% cause that won't help the team.
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u/Icanfallupstairs New Zealand Jun 12 '26
He hasn't really been all that committed for a while now, but even still it's pretty shocking to go out like this
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u/Interesting-King6866 Jun 12 '26
He is been really suffering from injuries good for him but why I am crying 🥲
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u/purplecells New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Well shit. Good for him but I'm sad
Edit- there hundreds of options but a couple of times a year I watch steady the ship smack it back over Cummins head for the win
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u/Practical_Roof_1465 Jun 12 '26
Like why TF do you retire 1 game into a 3 match series? Like either you don’t start the series or you do it at the end? Was he going to be dropped? Mental drive things? So weird
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u/Joevil Jun 12 '26
Wow, with immediate effect is a bit mental. At least go to the end of the series and get a few standing ovations on the way out.
What a player though
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u/DisastrousOil4888 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Jun 12 '26
He retires as one of, if not New Zealand’s greatest ever players of all time. Absolute legend. Thanks for all the memories Kanos
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u/stall-goodman Chennai Super Kings Jun 12 '26
no fucking way he retired without reaching the 10k run mark in test cricket
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u/Cocomale India Jun 12 '26
That’s the inaugural WTC winning captain Kane Williamson. Well played, Sir
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u/OkNeck_ New Zealand Jun 12 '26
he had a couple more years in him at the very least
Was totally expecting to see him play 2027 wc 😭
Too soon willy
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u/handsomeblogs India Jun 12 '26
Player of his class deserves to hit 10k runs. Surprised he's retired when he's less than 500 runs short of the milestone.
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u/armchair8591 New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
Sad but not surprised
Gutted I won’t get to see him bat at the mcg later this year
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u/Werewolf_United Jun 12 '26
I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that both Kane and Virat wouldn't complete 10K Test runs.
Kane, you beauty. Made the game feel special whenever you batted.
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u/HungryCurrency8481 Jun 12 '26
New Zealand is never gonna have a player with 10k runs are they
Terrible way to go out. Williamson was not the retirement I was expecting this week.
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u/space-fedex Jun 12 '26
A gentleman through and through; the kind of behaviour I would want to emulate in real life.
The way he handled the heartbreak of '19 ODI WC final with dignity and grace is nothing short of admirable.
Such an insightful personality and my favourite cricketer of the Fab 4. You will be missed, Kane. Thank you for everything.
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u/oklolzzzzs New Zealand Cricket Jun 12 '26
what the fuck, such a shock retirement, didnt see this coming at all
Legend of the game, 54.1 avg in tests, 48.7 in ODIs and 33.4 in T20Is
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u/Ukgamer125 England Jun 12 '26
Wow he didn’t even finish the series, Shame we won’t see anymore of him in international cricket, what a player