‘One of the greatest Blackcaps of all time’: New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon hails Kane Williamson after retirement

HAMILTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday praised former captain Kane Williamson following his retirement from international cricket, describing him as one of the finest Black Caps cricketers, while highlighting his achievements, humility and overall contribution to his country.

Williamson brought an end to his distinguished 16-year-long career as he announced retirement from international cricket on Friday, leaving behind a plethora of records, achievements and milestones.

In a post on X, New Zealand PM Luxon Luxon hailed Williamson’s contribution to New Zealand cricket and highlighted the legacy he leaves behind. “Kane Williamson will always be considered one of the greatest Blackcaps of all time. Not only because of his remarkable skill – scoring the most runs for New Zealand in international cricket – but for how he carried himself his whole career,” he said.

Kane Williamson will always be considered one of the greatest Blackcaps of all time.

Not only because of his remarkable skill – scoring the most runs for New Zealand in international cricket – but for how he carried himself his whole career. He is a total class act. A humble kid… pic.twitter.com/G8uJ54f6Uo

— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) June 13, 2026

Praising his journey, Luxon said Williamson had made his family and country proud, highlighting both his sporting excellence and sportsmanship. “He is a total class act. A humble kid from the Bay of Plenty who went on to become one of the best cricketers in the history of the game. Congratulations on an incredible career Kane. You’ve done yourself, your family and your country proud,” Luxon concluded.

Williamson’s long international career saw him play 378 international games for his country, setting countless batting records and earning the respect and admiration of the cricketing world. The 35-year-old finishes as New Zealand’s all-time leading international run-scorer with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double-centuries, according to the NZC website.

Williamson has scored the most Test runs (9,515) for New Zealand, including 33 centuries and six double-centuries. He is also the first player to score centuries in four consecutive Test matches.

In ODIs, he has the fourth most runs (7,256) for New Zealand and centuries (14), while in T20Is, he is second in runs (2,575) for the Black Caps. Williamson also boasts the highest Test batting average for New Zealand at 54.06 (minimum 20 games), the second highest ODI average at 48.69, and the third highest T20I average at 33 (minimum 5 games).

Alongside his numbers, Williamson’s captaincy and leadership style were also much admired, as he led the BlackCaps in all three formats during a golden period from 2016-2024, where they made two ICC World Cup Finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021.

Williamson has led New Zealand in 40 Tests, registering 22 wins, 10 losses, and 8 draws, second only to Stephen Fleming, who has 28 wins from 80 Tests. In 91 ODIs under his leadership, New Zealand recorded 46 wins, 40 losses, 1 tie, and 4 no-results, again second to Fleming’s 98 wins from 218 ODIs.He holds the record for the most T20I wins by a New Zealand captain with 39 victories in 75 matches.

Williamson’s captaincy highlights include reaching the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final in India, the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final in England, winning the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final in England, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup Final in the UAE, the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia, and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final in India. (ANI)