Bulawayo, July 29 (UNI) Mitchell Santner will lead New Zealand in the opening Test against Zimbabwe starting tomorrow in Bulawayo, stepping in for regular skipper Tom Latham, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Santner, the Black Caps’ white-ball captain, takes over red-ball leadership duties after a strong outing in the recent T20I Tri-Series in Harare, where he led New Zealand to an unbeaten title win. The all-rounder brings with him the experience of 30 Tests, with 1066 runs and 74 wickets under his belt.
New Zealand’s team management confirmed that Latham, who sustained the injury while fielding during a domestic T20 game in England, has not recovered sufficiently to be part of the playing XI. However, he will remain with the squad in Zimbabwe, with the hope of regaining fitness ahead of the second Test.
Head coach Rob Walter expressed disappointment over Latham’s absence but said the team was optimistic about his return. “It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a worldclass opening batsman and a great team man,” said Walter. “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.”
On Santner’s promotion, Walter added, “Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in the 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.”
New Zealand’s last red-ball assignment was a competitive home series against England, which they lost 2-1. With World Test Championship points on offer, the two-match series against Zimbabwe offers a crucial opportunity for the Black Caps to reset and rebuild.
