“It’s been an honour and privilege to play cricket for my country over the past 14 years and I will miss it greatly”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
New Zealand pace bowler Kyle Mills has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Mills’ decision to retire comes just a few days after team-mate Daniel Vettori decided to hang up his boots.
Mills will leave the game as New Zealand’s second-highest ODI wicket-taker with 240 scalps in 170 matches at an average of 27.02.
The 36-year-old also snapped up 44 wickets in the 19 Tests he played and 43 wickets in the 42 Twenty Internationals he appeared in.
“It’s been an honour and privilege to play cricket for my country over the past 14 years and I will miss it greatly,” Mills said. “However the time is right for me to step away from playing this great game and devote more time to my family who have sacrificed so much for me to keep playing the game I love.
“It’s important for me to acknowledge and thank the many coaches and mentors who have helped me along the way – they’ve all helped me become a better player in some capacity, whether that was when I was playing cricket for Howick-Pakuranga as a youngster or playing for Auckland and New Zealand.
“There have been many good times and some tough times on the field over the years, but my best memories will be of the team camaraderie and having the time of my life playing cricket for my country with my mates. I’m now looking forward to watching this exciting young New Zealand team over the next few years and enjoying their ongoing success and achievements.”
New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson noted that Mills had been a brilliant and consistent ODI bowler for numerous years.
“It’s sometimes forgotten that over the course of his career Kyle has consistently been ranked in the top 10 ODI bowlers in the world and for a long time held the top spot,” Hesson said. “To have the longevity that Kyle’s had takes an incredible work ethic and desire to represent your country.
“On top of what he’s achieved on the field, he’s also a fantastic bloke and a great team man. He’s a natural leader who did a superb job of captaining the side in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka last year and has brought a lot of passion to the group.”
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO David White lauded Mills for everything he achieved during his illustrious 16-year career.
“Kyle has been a wonderful ODI player over a long period of time and, but for injury, would have played closer to 200 games for New Zealand,” White said. “However, what I’ll always remember Kyle for most was when he knocked over the England Test team’s top-order during his match-winning spell at Hamilton in 2008 – dismissing in quick succession Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen.”