New Zealand have named a new captain for the first Test against Zimbabwe after regular New Zealand skipper Tom Latham was ruled out of the match due to a shoulder injury.
In Latham’s absence, white-ball skipper Mitch Santner will lead the New Zealand side. All-rounder Santner becomes the 32nd player to lead New Zealand men’s side in Test cricket.
Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a T20 match for Birmingham earlier this month and has not recovered sufficiently to be included in the playing XI on Wednesday. The left-handed top-order batter will remain with the squad with the hope he will be fit for the second Test starting August 7.
Santner, who has 1066 runs and 74 wickets from his 30 Tests, assumes the role fresh off a T20I Tri-Series victory in Harare where New Zealand remained undefeated in the group stage into the finals.
Rob Walter, New Zealand head coach, expressed his disappointment for Latham but backed Santner to do well.
“It’s never great when you lose your captain (Tom Latham), who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time,” said Walter.
“Mitch (Santner) did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series.Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he’s going to do a great job,” he added.
NZ vs ZIM Test Series Schedule:
1st Test, July 30-August 3, Bulawayo
2nd Test, August 7-August 11, Bulawayo
