New Zealand modern-day great and one of the most influential players in recent times, Ross Taylor is scheduled to retire from international cricket. Announcing the development on Thursday, December 30, Taylor said that he will hang up the whites after playing the home season in New Zealand.
"It's been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have," Taylor 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.”
A veteran of 17 years in international cricket, Taylor, earlier this year won the World Test Championship. Along with his captain Kane Williamson, Taylor saw NZ through a tricky Test match and scored the winning runs of that game. Taylor has also been a part of two ODI World Cup Finals, losing both of them, once against Australia and the other against England. The right hander has been integral in NZ's domination of world cricket in recent years and has been a part of three captaincy changes that shaped the Kiwi brand of cricket. Taylor was made captain of the team in 2011 but was removed soon after with Brendon McCullum being put on charge. McCullum, a long time friend and acquaintance of Taylor brought in a complete rehaul in the Kiwi approach with Taylor keeping his place in the team. Post McCullum's era, Taylor became an unbelievable asset to the NZ team becoming the second best ODI batter in the world after Virat Kohli, raking up runs at an average of 70 in the run up to the 2019 WC.
"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 said in his statement.