New Zealand Cricket Icon Kane Williamson Declines Central Contract, Steps Down from White-ball Captaincy
In a significant move, Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s current T20I and ODI captain, has declined a central contract for the 2024-25 season. The 33-year-old batting stalwart has also decided to step down from his white-ball captaincy role to prolong his international career.
“Playing for New Zealand is something I treasure, and my desire to give back to the team remains undiminished,” Williamson said. “My life outside cricket has changed, however. Spending more time with my family and enjoying experiences with them at home or abroad is something that’s even more important to me.”
The announcement comes on the heels of New Zealand’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where they missed out on a semi-final finish for the first time since 2014. Williamson remained coy about his future involvement in the T20I setup, saying, “Oh, I don’t know. We’ll see where things land.”
Despite relinquishing the white-ball captaincy, Williamson, who played his 100th Test earlier this year, remains committed to the Blackcaps. He has amassed an impressive 165 ODI caps and 93 T20I caps, leading the team in 40 Tests, 91 ODIs, and 75 T20Is. His decorated career includes finals appearances in the World Test Championship 2021 (which they won), the ODI World Cup 2019 (lost via a Super Over), and the T20 World Cup 2021 (lost to Australia).
The decision to allow Williamson to pursue overseas opportunities during the New Zealand summer was made by the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO, Scott Weenink. Weenink acknowledged Williamson as the “greatest ever batter” and expressed the organization’s desire to keep him involved in the international game.
“This is a good way to help keep Kane in the international game so that he continues to play a major role for the Blackcaps – both now and in the years to come,” Weenink said. “We have very little international cricket in New Zealand through January, and outside that period he’s still available for the Blackcaps.”
Alongside Williamson, fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, 33, has also indicated that he will not be accepting a central contract offer from NZC.
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