David Warner pens emotional tribute to Kane Williamson after retirement announcement

Kane Williamson announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, 12th June, 2026. The New Zealand National Cricket Team batter announced his retirement amidst the New Zealand Tour to England and ahead of the 2nd Test match against England, which is set to begin next week. The former captain has been one of the finest batters in modern-day cricket.

Kane Williamson brought an end to a glorious 16-year career with his retirement announcement. The former Kiwi captain is the only skipper to have won the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) back in 2021, beating India in the final by 8 wickets, and that remains one of his most memorable achievements in his long cricketing career.

Kane Williamson IPL career

Kane Williamson has been a major part of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL), where he led the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to the 2018 final after taking over the captaincy from David Warner, as Warner was suspended by Cricket Australia and the BCCI in the wake of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Kane Williamson had the best season with SRH as he won the Orange Cap in the 2018 season, with 735 runs.

Now, the latter has shared a heartfelt message to his former SRH teammate on Instagram. The two have played 42 IPL matches together as teammates for Sunrisers Hyderabad between 2015 and 2021 and won the title in 2016. In the final IPL season with the Orange Army, Williamson was once again announced as captain in the middle, replacing Warner.

It’s been an absolute privilege to play alongside- David Warner shares heartfelt message for Kane Williamson

David Warner wrote, “Kano, It’s been an absolute privilege to play both alongside you and against you over the years. The runs the records and the achievements speak for themselves but what has always stood out most to me is the person behind it all. You’ve been one of the genuine good blokes of world cricket humble, respectful, and someone who played the game in the right spirit every single time you walked onto the field.”

“Whether we were teammates or opponents I always loved sharing the field with you because you brought out the best in everyone around you. Congratulations on an incredible career mate. It’s been an honour to call you a teammate an opponent, and most importantly, a friend. Wishing you and the family all the best for whatever comes next.”

Kane Williamson signs off as New Zealand’s greatest-ever player

Williamson signs off as the leading run scorer for New Zealand across formats in 378 matches; he has scored 19,346 runs, with an average of 48.12. He has scored 48 centuries and 103 fifties across his 16-year career. Under his captaincy, New Zealand have played three ICC finals: the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2021 WTC.

The former Kiwi captain was also the Player of the Tournament in the ODI World Cup 2019 for his amazing performance in the tournament, though he could not take the Black Caps over the line, losing out on boundary count in the final. Williamson recently served as the Strategic Advisor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL.

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