Wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling has signalled his intention to retire following the World Test Championship final against India in England in late June.
The 35-year-old right-hander has been the player the side has leaned on in a crisis for years now.
It has been his job to stitch the innings back together when it was threatening to unravel.
So many of Watling’s gutsy knocks have been made in a scenario like that.
But the quiet manner in which he has gone about his work has often meant his deeds have been overlooked. Others have grabbed the headlines.
Perhaps his true value will not be fully understood until he is missing from that middle order.
Pace bowlers Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee certainly know his worth. Watling’s steady service behind the sticks has contributed significantly to their wicket column.
He has made 73 catches off Southee’s bowling, 55 off Boult and 53 off Wagner.
To put that into context, New Zealand greats Ian Smith and Richard Hadlee combined for 43 catches.
Since his debut in 2009 as an opening batsman, Watling established himself as arguably New Zealand’s greatest wicketkeeper-batsman in test cricket.
He has scored 3773 runs at an average of 38.11, including eight centuries. He has also made 259 catches (10 of them in the outfield) and eight stumpings.
With the Black Caps contracts for the 2021-22 season due to be released tomorrow, Watling expedited his retirement announcement.
The Northern Districts gloveman had been considering his options for some time.
He has recently become a father for the second time and it felt like it was "the right time for me to leave the game".
“It’s been a huge honour to represent New Zealand. 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.
“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 made many notable knocks. He scored 205 against England at Mount Maunganui in November 2019 to help set up an innings win.
He was just the ninth wicketkeeper-batsman to score a double hundred and he combined with Mitchell Santner to put on 261 for the seventh wicket in that game.
He featured in other mammoth partnerships. He combined with Brendon McCullum to put on 362 against India at the Basin Reserve in 2014, and an unbroken 365 with Kane Williamson against Sri Lanka at the same ground a year later.
He seemed to be at his best when New Zealand needed him most.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead dubbed Watling "Mr Dependable".
“BJ is a wonderful player and a great bloke,” Stead said.
“He works really hard on his game to get improvements and always puts the team first.
"He’s been such a crucial cog in the test team’s rise over the past decade.
“That double hundred he scored at the Mount in 2019 was one of the best innings I’ve ever seen and epitomised BJ Watling as a player, really.
“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 Black Caps.
“He is without a doubt one of our best ever wicket-keeper batsmen.”
Watling is planning a break with family when he returns from England, but suggested coaching was a long-term goal.
