“All good things have to come to an end”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has confirmed that he will retire from all forms of international cricket following the upcoming Test series at home against Australia in February.

McCullum made the announcement just a day after his side whitewashed Sri Lanka 2-0 in their Test series.

McCullum, who will play his 100th Test match in the first Test against Australia in Wellington, also revealed that he will not feature in the World Twenty20 in India in March.

The 34-year-old had wanted to announce his retirement after the series against Australia, but he couldn’t do so due to the confusion it would cause when New Zealand named their World Twenty20 squad.

“Ideally, I would have preferred to wait until after the ANZ Test in Christchurch to make this news public,” he said. “However, the schedule for naming the ICC World T20 squads means I couldn’t have managed this without causing a lot of confusion and speculation – something I was keen to avoid. I’ve loved my opportunity to play for, and captain the BLACKCAPS, but all good things have to come to an end, and I’m just grateful for the wonderful experience of playing for my country.

“There’s a time and place for reflection and that’s at the end of your career. For now, I’ll be giving all my attention to helping the team focus on what’s coming up over the next few weeks – and making sure we’re in the best possible shape for what’s going to be a very challenging summer.”

McCullum has captained New Zealand in 29 matches and has also represented his country in 99 Tests, 254 ODIs and 71 Twenty20 Internationals to date.