Fleming announced his retirement at a news conference in Auckland

Fleming, 34, is the most capped New Zealander at Test level having made 108 appearances, 80 as skipper.

"Retiring will allow me to be with my wife Kelly for the birth of our second child," said Fleming, who will also join the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Last month, he said he expected to play in the tour to England in May.

Fleming added: "I always indicated that I was likely to retire from international cricket as some point in the near future and the time is right for me and my family to do that now.

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"The IPL only takes a short amount of my time each year and allows me to continue pursuing my new endeavours outside of the game. I'm excited about pursuing new business opportunities."

The left-hander has scored 6,875 Test runs at an average of 39.73, including nine centuries, and taken 166 catches in the five-day game.

Fleming retired from one-day internationals in September after making 280 appearances for his country, 218 as skipper.

He was appointed captain of the Black Caps at the age of 23 and remained in charge of the team until his retirement from ODI's, when he was replaced by skipper by Daniel Vettori for both the five and one-day version of the game.

Fleming also played county cricket for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, who he skippered to the county championship in 2005.