New Zealand cricket icon Kane Williamson has decided to end his international career with immediate effect. This marks the end of one of the most illustrious careers in New Zealand's cricketing history. The 35-year-old revealed his decision in relation to New Zealand's ongoing Test series against England. He has now decided to withdraw from the rest of this series, and it will conclude his stellar 16-year tenure in international cricket. In his career, he has amassed the most runs for New Zealand across all formats and has been regarded as one of the world's leading captains and batsmen. According to Williamson, the decision had been made a while back and the current juncture felt appropriate to retire from international cricket. Williamson said: "I’ve thought about it for a while, but over the last few days it’s become clear now is the right time. I’ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket, and I take pride in knowing I’ve given it my all in every match I’ve played for New Zealand. Continuing with anything less wouldn’t be right and I feel fortunate to step away on my own terms." A Career Filled With Runs And Records During his time representing New Zealand as a professional international cricketer, Williamson played 378 games, and amassed 19,346 runs throughout his career including 48 centuries and six double hundreds. He was consistently one of the most dependable batters in world cricket during the time of his tenure, performing at an exceptional level in all three forms of the game, and performing brilliantly against the very best teams in world cricket. After retiring from T20 Internationals last year, this announcement signifies the end of Williamson's time as a New Zealand international. Leading New Zealand's Golden Era While Williamson was always renowned as a fine batter, he was also a significant leader for New Zealand from 2016 to 2024 and led the team to its most successful years ever. In this time, New Zealand finished as runners up in two ICC World Cups, qualified for 3 ICC semi-finals and won the inaugural ICC Test Championship in 2021. He spoke positively of the future of the team: "I leave feeling optimistic about where this group is heading. There’s a huge amount of talent, and a real desire to do something special with this New Zealand team. It’s a team I love, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of it for so long. It will continue to be dear to my heart." Also Read | Why England Chose Joe Root Over Harry Brook for Test Captaincy After Ben Stokes Suspension? Tributes Pour In For Williamson New Zealand coach Rob Walter expressed his gratitude to Kane Williamson. Walter stated: "Anyone who’s had the privilege of working with Kane understands he is a very special player and person. His impact on the culture and standards of this team will remain embedded in its DNA. An incredible player, awesome teammate, a wonderful leader and a fantastic ambassador for our sport." In his illustrious career, Williamson achieved a number of honours including winning ICC Cricketer of the year in 2015, ICC Test Player of the year in 2019 and also winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal on a record four occasions.