Kane Williamson decided to relinquish his captaincy duties from white-ball cricket and forgo his central contract after New Zealand's shock yet early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
There were a lot of questions regarding Williamson's captaincy future following the Blackcaps group stage exit from the showpiece in the USA and West Indies. New Zealand's fate in the ongoing T20 World Cup was sealed after they suffered two consecutive defeats at the hands of Afghanistan and West Indies.
New Zealand's campaign came to an end with a win over Papua New Guinea (PNG) in their final group-stage fixture. Following the New Zealand's early exit, Kane Williamson made up his mind to quit as captain and decline his central contract. However, the veteran cricketer, who has represented Blackcaps in 358 matches across all three formats, will continue to play for New Zealand.
Emphasising reason behind forgoing his central contract, resigned New Zealand stated that he is looking to pursue opportunities outside New Zealand due to limited international played during the summer. He also asserted that he will continue to contribute to Blackcaps as a player.
"Helping push the team forward across the formats is something Iโm very passionate about and something I want to keep contributing towards." Kane Williamson said in a statement by NZC.
"However, pursuing an overseas opportunity during the New Zealand summer means Iโm unable to accept a central contract offer.โ he added.
Kane Williamson will be available to play for 8 Tests in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
'End of an era': Fans emotional reaction to Williamson quitting as NZ skipper
Following the news of Kane Williamson stepping down as New Zealand skipper, cricket fans lauded the veteran cricketer's success as the captain over the last 8 years. Many feel it is an 'End Of An Era' as they reflect on Williamson's leadership that brought New Zealand Cricket to greater heights, especially the team's success in ICC tournaments.
Fans took to their social media handles, especially X (formerly Twitter) to express their admiration for Kane Williamson's extraordinary stint as New Zealand captain.
After Brendon McCullum stepped down as captain and retired from international cricket, the captaincy baton was passed on to Kane Williamson in 2016. His first assignment as a captain was the T20 World Cup in India, where New Zealand finished on top of the Group 2 and qualified for the Semifinal. In the semifinal, the Kiwis lost to England, who went on to lost to the 2nd-time champions West Indies in the final.
Kane Williamson's success as New Zealand captain
Kane Williamson stepped down as the second-most successful captain in the history of New Zealand Cricket. After assuming his captaincy duties in a T20 World Cup match against Team India, Williamson went on to lead the Black Caps in 206 matches, winning 107 and losing 84 matches.
Though Williamson is the second most successful captain, the 34-year-old has highest win percentage among the Black Caps' skippers, , with a success rate of 51.94%. Kane Williamson's major international success as a captain came when he defeated India in the World Test Championship Final in 2021.
The WTC title is only the ICC triumph Kane Williamson won as a captain. , with a success rate of 51.94%. Williamson led New Zealand to ODI World Cup Final in 2019 but lost to maiden champions England. He also captained the side to T20 World Cup 2021 Final, but the Black Caps failed to clinch the prestigious title after losing to Australia.
The veteran cricketer led New Zealand to ODI World Cup 2023 semifinal, but lost to India in Mumbai. Under the captaincy of Kane Williamson, New Zealand achieved immense success in the International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.
