PAK vs NZ: Tim Southee Named New Captain As Kane Williamson Relinquishes New Zealand Test Captaincy

The 32-year-old New Zealand National Cricket Team star batter Kane Williamson has decided to relinquish Test captaincy and the veteran right-arm pacer Tim Southee has been named as his successor with Tom Latham serving as his deputy.

Kane Williamson, who will probably go down as New Zealand’s greatest batsman by the time he retires, was appointed as captain after the retirement of Brendon McCullum in 2016. He led the Black Caps to 22 triumphs in 40 Tests.

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Under his leadership, New Zealand National Cricket Team won the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship by defeating Virat Kohli-led India National Cricket Team in 2021.

In an official statement issued by New Zealand Cricket (NZC), Kane Williamson said that leading New Zealand has been an “incredibly special honour” for him, but the time has come to relinquish Test captaincy. Williamson was confident that the newly-appointed leaders – Southee and Latham – will do a great job in Test cricket.

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“Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour. 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 this 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 said.

“I’m excited to support Tim as captain and Tom as vice-captain. Having played with both of them for most of my career, I’m confident they’ll do a great job. Playing for the BLACKCAPS and contributing in all three formats is my number one priority and I’m looking forward to the cricket we have ahead,” he added.

Kane Williamson has guided the Test team through an immensely successful period – Gary Stead

Talking about Kane Williamson, New Zealand National Cricket Team head coach Gary Stead said that the 32-year-old led from the front with his performances in Test cricket. 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.

“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.”

New Zealand’s Test captaincy is indeed in safe hands as Southee is one of the most experienced Kiwi players, who has played 346 international matches. Southee, who will become New Zealand’s 31st Test captain, has already led the Black Caps in 22 T20Is and Tom Latham has also led the Kiwis on a few occasions in Test cricket.

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