Ross Taylor to retire: A look at his major records

New Zealand cricket icon Ross Taylor announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, ending speculation about his future with the team. The 37-year-old took to Twitter to announce that the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which starts on January 1, would be his last Test series for the Kiwis, while a total of six one-day internationals (ODIs) against Australia and the Netherlands in February and March would be his last ODI games.

Taylor had made his debut for the Kiwis in the 2006, and has been a mainstay of their batting order ever since. He has amassed a bunch of records over the course of his career, and is set to equal Daniel Vettori’s record for the most Test appearances (112) by a New Zealand cricketer when he faces Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series.

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Taylor is also the only player in the history of the sport to play more than 100 games in each of the three international formats, Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, and holds a bunch of records for the Kiwis, including having the most number of international appearances for the team (445).

The former captain of the New Zealand cricket team, Taylor was handed the captaincy in 2010 and has led the Kiwis in matches in all three international cricket formats.

Among New Zealanders, Taylor has the highest number of runs in Tests (7,584) and ODIs (8,581) and his total of 18,074 runs in international cricket is the highest among the Kiwis. Taylor also boasts the most number of international 100s for New Zealand (40), and has scored 1,909 runs in T20Is. Taylor was also influential in South Africa’s win over India at the first-ever World Test Championship final in Southampton in 2021.

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Understandably, Taylor’s announcement of his imminent retirement sparked tributes from players, former players, and fans around the world, who wished the legend luck in his future endeavours.