The 35-year-old today announced his retirement from international cricket, although he will stay involved in the Twenty20 format for Northern Districts and his Indian Premier League side Chennai Super Kings.
An allrounder who grafted hard to make the most of his skills, Styris' impact on the New Zealand team since his introduction in 1999 lay much deeper than the naked statistics normally used to rate a player's contribution.
His fierce competitive nature revealed itself out in the middle, as well as his in own dressing room where Styris had a habit of winding up his teammates, who responded by bestowing him with the nickname Pig, as in pig-headed.
It was certainly not a term of endearment, as his prickly personality did ruffle a few feathers. But he made no apologies, because it was a personality trait that served Styris well through 29 tests and 188 one-day internationals.
"It can rub some people up the wrong way at times because not everyone has the same level of competitiveness. But I would not have it any other way, I enjoyed playing my cricket that way," he said from England, where he is playing in the domestic Twenty20 league for Essex.
Of course, form and fitness wavered at times, meaning spells out of the national side, but Styris invariably fought his way back and he was satisfied with his lot, saying his retirement was sealed some time back.
Having retired from the test arena in 2008, he told his New Zealand one-day teammates after they were eliminated in the semifinals of the World Cup on the subcontinent in March.
And his body this week again reminded him he had made the correct decision, when a strained calf muscle forced him to miss a couple of matches for Essex.
"The worst thing about getting older when you play sport is that you feel you can no longer do all the things you used to do," Styris said.
"The reason I was an allrounder was because I loved being involved in the game. If you miss with the bat you get an opportunity to make up for that with the ball.
"As time has gone on my time with the ball has diminished and in the batting order I have moved from four to five then from five to six."
Styris departed the international stage with fond memories, individual and collective.
As a team man, nothing bettered creating firsts or doing well overseas.
"Any time you've won a tri-series or test matches when you can look around the room and everyone is elated and over the moon, you know how hard everyone has worked to achieve that victory. Those are the things as a player that I will miss the most."
On a personal level it is difficult to top scoring a century on test debut, which Styris did in the West Indies in 2002 after he had been unwanted for the first test at Bridgetown, Barbados, which New Zealand won by 204 runs.
During the victory celebrations captain Stephen Fleming shoulder-tapped Styris and told him he would be playing the second test the following week at St George's, Grenada.
"I told him it was probably the wrong time to tell me after he'd had a skin full but I also told him if he picked me I would guarantee him a hundred."
Styris was as good as his word, hitting 107 at No 8 in the order as the New Zealanders posted 373 in the first innings, so becoming just the seventh from this country to top three figures on debut.
"I was on about 90 odd at tea and Flem said to me 'remember your promise'. I made sure I got the last few runs that I needed."
Promoted to No 6 in the second dig Styris backed up an unbeaten 69 to help ensure a draw and a famous series victory.
"Those are the sort of things you remember, largely because it was the first time we'd won a test series over there."
It cannot be said that Styris has mellowed down the years. Only last year he was embroiled in an ugly mid-pitch clash with fiery Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson at Napier's McLean Park.
He had been out of the team for five months and was scratching around early in his comeback innings as New Zealand bid to chase down a target of 276.
Perhaps thinking Styris was vulnerable, Johnson unwisely engaged the feisty batsman verbally, unknowingly feeding the New Zealander's appetite for confrontation.
Suddenly Styris started middling the ball en route to an unbeaten 49 not out off 34 balls as the home side won by two wickets with four balls to spare.
Before the end Johnson lost the plot, aiming a gentle headbutt at Styris' helmet-protected head. Both players paid a price, with officials later fining Johnson 60 percent and Styris 15 percent of their match fees.
Styris smiles at the memory.
"I didn't feel as if I was playing that well then Mitchell Johnson decided to have some fun and suddenly I started to middle the ball," he recalled.
"Maybe I need a bit of that to help me get going."
Styris will be missed in the New Zealand dressing room, which should be a much quieter haven for his absence.
