Published: Dec 15, 2022, 07:36 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 15, 2022, 04:39 PM (IST)
New Delhi: New Zealand’s most successful red ball captain Kane Williamson would step down from the position after a remarkable run. The team’s veteran member Tim Southee would step up as the 31st skipper and would be the new man in command, while Williamson would continue to contribute as a batter and skipper in the remaining formats.
Kane Williamson had the most successful run as a test skipper for New Zealand. He won the inaugural World Test Championship after defeating Team India in the finals. Williamson lead Kiwis in 4o test matches and won 22 matches with an astonishing win percentage of 55%.
Tim Southee is one of NZ’s most senior players and would step up as the 31st skipper for New Zealand. Tom Latham would take up the role of vice-captain. Southee would take up the role from the upcoming test series against Pakistan as they fly to Pakistan for 2 Tests and three ODIs.
New Zealand Cricket and Kane Williamson made this decision by keeping the upcoming World Cup and T20 World Cup. Kane Williamson said ”
“Captaining the Black Caps in test cricket has been an incredibly special honour. For me, test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format.”
“Captaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career, I feel the time is right for the decision.
“After discussions with NZC, we felt that continuing to captain the white-ball formats was preferable with two World Cups in the next two years,” he added.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead addressed this and hoped that their decision to manage the workload will work out in team’s favor. He said “Kane’s guided the test team through an immensely successful period which is testament to his ability to bring people together and work towards a common goal. He’s certainly led from the front with his own performances and that was very much the case during our push to win the World Test Championship.”
“The test team has continued to evolve and develop during his time and the fact we’ve been able to introduce new players and see them thrive almost instantly is a credit to Kane and his leadership. We hope by lessening his workload we can continue to see the best of Kane Williamson for longer on the international stage, and we know he will remain a key leader in this group,” Stead added.
Gary Stead also talked about going forward under Tim Southee’s leadership and said “Tim’s a quality leader with a good cricket brain. We’ve seen his captaincy skills on display with the T20 side and I’m sure he’ll continue to bring an aggressive style, whilst still maintaining the core fundamentals of how this Black Caps team operates in the test arena. He will also come from a slightly different perspective in being a bowler which I’m sure will also bring with it new ideas and fresh thinking.”
