Ross Taylor has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the current home season with the upcoming series against Bangladesh being his last Test cricket before he finishes with the ODIs against Australia and Netherlands.
Taylor, 37, currently has 110 Test caps and is New Zealand's leading run-scorer in both that format and ODIs.
He made his international debut in an ODI against West Indies in March 2006 before playing his first Test against South Africa in November 2007. His top score of 290 came against Australia in Perth.
Taylor, who was at the crease alongside Kane Williamson when New Zealand secured the World Test Championship earlier this year, had previously spoken about making the 2023 World Cup but has decided now is the time to call it a day and not be available for the South Africa Tests later in the season.
New Zealand are due to tour Australia for three ODIs from late January then play Netherlands back at home.
"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.
Today I'm announcing my retirement from international cricket at the conclusion of the home summer, two more tests against Bangladesh, and six odi's against Australia & the Netherlands. Thank you for 17 years of incredible support. It's been an honour to represent my country #234 pic.twitter.com/OTy1rsxkYp
— Ross Taylor (@RossLTaylor) December 29, 2021
"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 Blackcaps this summer."
New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that Taylor would finish his career as one of the country's greats"Ross has always been a hugely respected member of the side and we're thankful for his contributions to the Blackcaps over an incredible career," he said."His skills and temperament as a batsman have been world-class and his ability to perform at such a high level for so long speaks volumes of his longevity and professionalism."His experience has held the side together on countless occasions and his catching record speaks for itself. There's no doubt we're going to miss him when he's gone."Seeing him hit the winning runs in Southampton to help win our first ICC World title is a moment I will never forget and I'm sure it's the same for many of the fans."I know Ross is really focused on performing well in these remaining series and going out on the right note."
Williamson, who will miss the Bangladesh series due to his ongoing elbow injury, paid tribute to his long-time team-mate and 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 said. "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."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.Taylor said he would remain available for Central Districts until the end of the season before making a decision on whether to continue playing domestic cricket.
"A lot of different emotions," New Zealand captain Tom Latham said about Taylor's retirement, on Friday. "He's been such a great servant for New Zealand cricket over a long period of time. What he's done for New Zealand cricket over his career is amazing. He's been in the group for a long time. he's been here since as long as I've been here so it'll be different not seeing him. For us it's about getting around him over the next two weeks.. it'll soon be different without him. We're looking forward to celebrating what he's achieved and what he's done for New Zealand cricket."