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Watling to hang up the gloves after England tour

Nic Duff
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BJ Watling  Instagram

The 35-year-old wicket keeper is set to retire from all forms of cricket following the upcoming England series and World Test Championship Final.

"It's the right time," says the Blackcaps Test keeper.

“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."

Watling ranks tenth all-time in Test runs for New Zealand, with eight centuries. And as a wicket keeper, he has compiled the most dismissals by a New Zealander with 257. He is just the ninth Test keeper to score a double hundred.

Blackcaps coach Gary Stead labelled Watling "one of our best ever wicket-keeper batsmen."

"The records speak for themselves and he’s been such a crucial cog in the Test team’s rise over the past decade. The attitude and fight he brings to every day and every session of a Test is what has made him such a valued member of the Blackcaps."

If Watling plays all three Tests on the upcoming tour, he will surpass Adam Parore’s record of most Tests as a New Zealand keeper at 67. He played his entire domestic career for Northern Districts having amassed 243 appearances across the three formats.