'I don’t think anybody is forced to retire' - Kane Williamson dismisses Ross Taylor’s claim for Neil Wagner

Former New Zealand Test skipper Kane Williamson has refuted any claims of a forced exit for Neil Wagner from international cricket and emphasized on his invaluable contributions to the team.

The 37-year-old has played 64 Test matches for the Black Caps and has picked up 260 wickets at an average of 27.57 before announcing his decision to retire from international cricket. Shortly after that, former cricketer Ross Taylor suggested that Wagner’s retirement from international cricket was "forced" on him as the pacer seemed to be in a good rhythm.

Also read: New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner retires from international cricket

Notably, Wagner announced his retirement a day before New Zealand’s first Test against Australia at Basin Reserve in Wellington. It was reported that the cricketer announced his decision after failing to make it to the squad for the series as he was extremely emotional during the time of his announcement. 

On the other hand, Williamson recently pointed out that the cricketer wasn’t forced to retire and added that the last week was extremely special for him as they had some amazing moments in the dressing room but also reflected on their defeat at the hands of Australia in the first Test.

“I don’t think anybody is forced to retire. I think last week, (Wagner) had a fantastic week reflecting on what was an incredible career, and we had some amazing moments in the dressing room and, you know, it didn’t all go perfectly obviously, an on-field performance would have helped,” Williamson was quoted as saying by NZ Herald.

Also Read: 'There is no sugercoating it' - Ross Taylor on Neil Wagner's 'forced' retirement

“But it was so much more than that and he’s just done such incredible things for this team and we’ve seen the skill that he has and the numbers that everybody sees. But, you know, the heart and soul and effort that he’s brought to the side and largely led through that for so long. It’s been incredible and it was quite a special week for that reason. I think he had a really amazing time,” he added.

Meanwhile, both Williamson and skipper Tim Southee will be playing their 100th Test match against Australia at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, which is slated to begin on March 8.