Sir Ian Botham believes batsmen across the world will sleep better following the retirement of Australia's Mitchell Johnson.
The 34-year-old has called time on his 73-Test career as Australia's fourth highest Test wicket-taker behind Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee, and Botham said he understands Johnson's decision.
"I wish him all the very, very best - he's been a very good cricketer," said Botham.
"After pounding that body every day of the week you eventually hit a wall. It took me no longer than five minutes to decide to retire. He will have said 'I can't do it anymore, I'm not enjoying it, it's time to get out'. I respect him for that.
He added: "I think there will be a lot of batsmen sleeping a lot better tonight. He's probably the best strike bowler who has been around in recent years.
"He was the go-to bowler for Australia - the captain throws him the ball and says 'look, we need a wicket desperately'; Johnson comes steaming in bowling 90mph-plus - he's aggressive, he's in your face.
"He will be missed by Australia but not by a lot of batsmen. I've enjoyed watching him over the last couple of years in particular.
"He had problems early on but he went and saw Dennis Lillee over in Perth and he got himself sorted out."
David Lloyd added that Johnson was a captain's dream of a fast bowler, and a 'champion' and 'warrior' for Australia.
"One of the great things about Test cricket is when you see a fast bowler thundering in, bowling 90mph. That is why they call it a Test, it is a test of your resolve as a batsman," said Lloyd.
"He has been an absolute champion, a warrior, for Australia. A thrilling fast bowler.
"He is a captain's dream, would bowl at any time of the day or any end. And I have always been impressed in particular by the fact that at 5pm in the evening, he is still able to get it through at 90mph-plus.
"But he will be hurting. Fast bowlers know exactly when it is right to call it a day, because it hurts, the strain it puts on your body.
"It's a strange retirement in the sense it is in the middle of a series. We have seen it before with Graeme Swann in the 2013/14 Ashes, Younus Khan has done it too in the middle of the one-dayers in the UAE.
"But I've heard from Johnson that he feels the time is right. He took only 1-157 in the first innings against New Zealand and he feels he can't do it anymore. Time marches on."
Nasser Hussain said it was Johnson's pursuit of perfection that likely contributed to his retirement at 34-years-old, with still some years left in the tank.
"He is someone who wants to play at the highest level, and not willing to do it at 80 or 90 per cent," said Hussain. "He has been through been through the mill, had some real ups and downs in Test cricket and so now wants to play at his best, nothing else.
"He has admitted that at times he wished he was injured because he just did not know where the ball was going. He went away, worked with Dennis Lillee, got himself stronger, and then the way he came back into side was remarkable.
"In that 2013/14 Ashes down under, some of his bowling was absolutely incredible. A lot of the England boys had been on the previous tour and scored runs and arrived thinking it was going to be more of the same. Johnson just said 'no, it's going to be different this time'.
"His great mentor, Lillee, was still getting wickets towards the end of his career but had dropped a lot of pace. He said the thing that convinced him to retire was the mental side of the game. He just didn't want to put himself through it every single day anymore.
"The one thing you're in control of in your career is your retirement, and he has obviously woken up after that first innings where New Zealand scored 600-odd and said 'enough is enough'.