Mitchell Santner will captain New Zealand in the opening Test against Zimbabwe, starting July 30 in Bulawayo, after regular skipper Tom Latham was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
Latham picked up the injury while fielding for Birmingham Bears in the Vitality Blast earlier this month and has not recovered in time for the first Test. According to New Zealand Cricket, he will remain with the squad and continue rehabilitation in the hope of being fit for the second Test, starting August 7.
“It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” said head coach Rob Walter. “It’s never great when you lose your captain, 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.”
Santner to lead for the first time in Tests
White-ball skipper Santner, who has played 30 Tests, will lead the side in the longest format for the first time in Latham’s absence. The left-arm spinner has scored 1,066 runs and taken 74 wickets in the format since his debut in November 2015. Santer has played only seven Tests since the start of 2021, and had a pivotal role in New Zealand’s Test win in India last year, where he picked up career-best figures of 13-157 at Pune.
Santner captained the Black Caps to the final of the Champions Trophy earlier this year, and recently led them to a T20I tri-series win in Harare, where the team remained unbeaten.
“Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series,” Walter added. “He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game. 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.”
This tour marks New Zealand’s first red-ball assignment against Zimbabwe since 2016. They have won the last four Test series against the opposition and are yet to lose a game in the format to Zimbabwe.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
