Top 5 major achievements of Kane Williamson in international cricket
Kane Williamson announced his retirement from international cricket on June 12, 2026.
New Zealand’s most decorated batsman and one of the best all-format captains — Kane Williamson has called time on his international career, effective immediately. Williamson has represented the Kiwis in 378 international matches, comprising 110 Tests, 175 ODIs, and 93 T20Is.
As a captain, Kane has led the Black Caps in 91 ODIs, 75 T20Is, and 40 Tests. His winning percentage across all three formats was over 50%. He has led the team to victory in 55% of Tests, while in T20Is and ODIs, he has secured wins in 52% and 50.5% of matches, respectively.
Moreover, under his excellent leadership, the Kiwis have reached the knockout stages of ICC tournaments six times, including two ICC World Cup finals, three semi-finals, and victory in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021.
He was the chief architect of New Zealand‘s first away Test series win over Pakistan in 49 years, with 89 and 139 in the final Test in 2018.
Kane Williamson, beyond his cricketing numbers, was the embodiment of the spirit of this gentleman’s game called Cricket. He has earned respect and admiration for his affability in the cricketing world.
For his exemplary international career, Williamson has been awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal four times, in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2019 and 2020; and he was also the 2015 Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World.
On that note, let’s take a look at the top five major achievements of Kane Williamson in his international career.
Major achievements of Kane Williamson:
ICC World Test Championship Winners 2021
As captain, Kane Williamson has one of the best winning percentages for New Zealand in Test matches, standing at 55%. Having captained in 40 Tests, he has won 22 of them, the second most Test wins after Stephen Fleming.
It was under his captaincy that the Kiwis won their first ICC title in decades. With his 49 and 52* in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship 2021 final, he anchored the chase against India, winning by 8 wickets.
Most international runs for New Zealand
Williamson, since his debut in 2010, has been an indispensable part of the Kiwi line-up. He has amassed 19,346 international runs, out of which 9,515 runs were in Test cricket and 7,256 in ODIs.
He was a part of the infamous ‘Fab Four’ of international cricket, alongside Virat Kohli, Joe Root, and Steve Smith. Williamson also has the most international centuries for NZ (48) and the most double-centuries (6) too.
Player of the Tournament in 2019 ODI World Cup
Kane Williamson scored 548 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, most by any captain in that edition (second most by a captain ever in a World Cup).
He made two match-winning hundreds against South Africa and West Indies in the tournament, and a vital 67 in the semi-final win against India, to get New Zealand to a second successive World Cup final.
Although New Zealand did not win the World Cup, despite the Super Over clash, Williamson’s heroics in that tournament will always be remembered.
Most Test runs for New Zealand
The 35-year-old has scored 9,515 runs in his 16-year-long Test career. Having played 110 Test matches for the country, he amassed the most Test runs for New Zealand. He has also scored the most Test centuries for the Kiwis (33).
He has the highest Test average (min. 20 innings), 54.06, representing his team. He was the 2019 ICC Test Player of the Year for his significant contributions to the format.
Although he did not reach the 10k Test runs mark, he joins the list of players with Test runs between 9000-10000, alongside Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith.
First to score centuries in four consecutive Test matches
Kane is the first player from New Zealand to have scored centuries in four consecutive Tests. Overall, this feat has been achieved by only five players.
He scored these four consecutive centuries against England, two against Sri Lanka, and one against Bangladesh; his scores were 132, 121*, 215, and 104, respectively.
Kane Williamson made his last appearance in International cricket in the first Test against England at Lord’s in June 2026.
How many international runs has Kane Williamson scored?
Kane Williamson has amassed 19,346 runs in his illustrious international career.
When did Kane Williamson announce his retirement?
Kane Williamson announced his retirement on June 12, 2026.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.