New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will retire from all forms of international Cricket at the end of the home series against Australia in February 2016. McCullum, 34, made the announcement in Christchurch a day after his team won the Test series against Sri Lanka 2-0.

McCullum is second on New Zealand’s all-time Test run scorers, with 6,273 runs from 99 matches.

“Ideally, I would have preferred to wait until after the ANZ Test in Christchurch to make this news public,” he said at a press conference in Christchurch on Tuesday.

“However, the schedule for naming the ICC World T20 squads means I could not have managed this without causing a lot of confusion and speculation – something I was keen to avoid.”

“I’ve loved my opportunity to play for, and captain the Black Caps. But all good things have to come to an end, and I’m just grateful for the wonderful experience,” he added.

McCullum, who made his Test debut against South Africa in Hamilton in 2004, initially forged a career as an explosive lower-order wicketkeeper batsman.

The right-hander has 11 Test centuries to his name, including a triple-century against India, plus five ODI tons and two in T20 cricket. More than the runs McCullum has scored, it’s the way he’s scored them that will define his legacy.

His current ODI career strike rate is an incredible 95 from 254 matches, while he has blasted a total of 381 sixes for his country across all formats of the game.

His current ODI career strike rate is an incredible 95 from 254 matches, while he has blasted a total of 381 sixes for his country across all formats of the game.

More than the runs McCullum has scored, it’s the way he’s scored them that will define his legacy. His current ODI career strike rate is an incredible 95 from 254 matches, while he has blasted a total of 381 sixes for his country across all formats of the game.

His inspirational leadership was widely credited with the team’s successful World Cup campaign, where New Zealand stormed to the final on the back of an attacking brand of cricket that won them fans around the world.

Kane Williamson will captain New Zealand at the World Twenty20 in India, which starts on 8 March.