"Want to play as long as I can" - Kane Williamson keen on prolonging international career despite turning down central contract

New Zealand's ace batter Kane Williamson has reaffirmed his long-term commitment to the country. The classy right-handed batter hinted at playing until 2028, but wants to take it year by year.

Following New Zealand's early exit from T20 World Cup 2024, the 33-year-old not only turned down a central contract, but also stepped down as the white-ball skipper. Nevertheless, Williamson has been one of their most prolific run-getters, especially in Tests and ODIs.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in New Zealand, Williamson said he is excited in terms of who the future captain will be and wants to stay fit for the longest time possible.

As quoted by ESPNcricinfo, he claimed:

"I want to play as long as I can. I've really, really enjoyed my time captaining and it's been a privilege and an honour to do that for a number of years. I'm excited with what's next for the team in terms of the leadership as well and looking forward to being part of that. In terms of a timeframe, it's difficult to say. Want to keep being fit, doing as well as I can, keep trying to improve. That [2028] is a number of years away and it's a year at a time."

The Tauranga-born cricketer had a scratchy T20 World Cup campaign, perishing for single-figure scores against West Indies (1) and Afghanistan (9). He stayed unbeaten on 18 in their consolation win over Papua New Guinea.

"I will miss maybe a handful of games" - Kane Williamson

Williamson strongly hinted at participating in SA20 2025, leading him to miss a few international matches. However, the veteran asserted that playing for New Zealand remains top priority, adding:

"There's a number of great competitions on during that time, but SA20 looks really exciting. Unfortunately, it meant turning down a central contract, however my priority still is, absolutely, playing for New Zealand. Think I will miss maybe a handful of games over a three-week period.

"It's simply the contract, the rules that currently exist meant I wasn't able to have one but in terms of playing for New Zealand I'm not missing almost any cricket really, so that was important to me."

The Kiwis will be next in action in November during the home Test series against England.