New Zealand cricketer BJ Watling to retire after the tour of England

New Zealand wicket keeper-batsman BJ Watling has announced that he will retire from all forms of cricket after the upcoming England tour which features 2 Tests against England followed by the World Test Championship final against India from June 18.

The 35-year-old Kiwi cricketer has represented New Zealand in 73 Tests, 28 ODIs and 5 T20Is. He has scored over 10,000 First Class Runs with a career best of 205 runs which he recorded against England at Mount Maunganui.

Watling heads into the last three Tests of his career with 3773 runs at an average of 38.11.

He represented Northern Districts in his domestic career and played 176 First Class Matches, 133 List A matches and 67 T20 matches.

The partnership of 365* between Kane Williamson and BJ Watling is the second highest partnership for the 6th wicket in Test cricket while the partnership of 261 between BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner is the fifth highest partnership for the 7th wicket in Test Cricket. It goes to show how influential Watling was for the Blackcaps in the lower middle order.

Watling opined this is the right time for retirement in his announcement.

“It’s been a huge honour to represent New Zealand and in particular wear the Test baggy. Test cricket really is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve loved every minute of being out there in the whites with the boys.”, told BJ Watling in his retirement statement.

“Sitting in the changing rooms having a beer with the team after five days’ toil is what I’ll miss the most. I’ve played with some great players and made many good mates. I’ve also had plenty of help along the way for which I’ll always be grateful.”, Watling added.

He praised his wife Jess for her support – “My wife Jess has been a constant source of stability and support and I’m certainly looking forward to being able to spend more time with her and the kids. I also owe a big thanks to my mum for steering me in the right direction early on and always being there for me.