Adam Parore's bid to join Test wicketkeeping's exclusive 200-club haunted him for the past three weeks but now the is looking forward to starting a normal life. Parore, 31, officially retired from all cricket after playing a prominent role in New Zealand's 78-run third Test win over England to square the series 1-1. It was Parore's 78th Test and he ended with 201 wicketkeeping dismissals - only the eighth person in Test history to reach the mark - along with 2,865 runs at an average of 26.28. He finished with a batting double of 45 and 36 after opening in the second innings.

A qualified lawyer, Parore made his Test debut in England in 1990 and in the late 1990s emerged as consistently one of the world's best. He was on 196 dismissals going into the Auckland Test and took three catches in the first innings including Andrew Flintoff for number 199 courtesy of an appalling decision from umpire Doug Cowie. Parore finally got number 200 when he caught Graham Thorpe off Daryl Tuffey, and he added James Foster as his last scalp.

"It messed with my head badly for three weeks," Parore said. "That was a big milestone from a wicketkeeping point of view. It's a true honour to be in that club, those guys have been my heroes since I was a little kid.

"I'd have been absolutely gutted if I didn't make it. Between some pretty average wicketkeeping and some abysmal umpiring I stuttered my way towards it."

He said the retirement had been brewing since the start of the season and the recent tour of Australia, after which he was dropped for the one-day series against England. He said his interest in cricket hadn't waned but other things had become more important, including spending more time with his partner.

"I'd like to pursue a career in business, have a social life, not tour, hopefully have a family at some stage ... all the things that as a full-time professional cricketer you just can't do."

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