Tom Latham ready to step up as New Zealand ODI captain as coach Gary Stead drops a shocker

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham said he is open to the idea of taking over as the ODI captain of the Black Caps following Kane Williamson's decision to step down from the role.

Williamson resigned as the New Zealand Cricket Team’s white-ball captain after his team’s embarrassing exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which also saw him opting out of his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) central contract for the 2024–25 season.

Tom Latham emerges as top contender for New Zealand's white-ball captaincy

His call leaves the Black Caps without a captain for the white-ball formats. Latham, who has previously stepped in as New Zealand captain during Williamson’s absences in 44 ODIs, is the frontrunner for the job, and even he has confirmed his willingness to take up the full-time captaincy.

Latham’s big statement came after NZC announced the home summer schedule, beginning with a three-test series against England in November, followed by a white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. They will also host Pakistan in a white-ball series after the Champions Trophy in 2025.

While the NZC has yet to finalize a replacement for Williamson in white-ball cricket, Latham emerged as the top contender to lead the team in ODI cricket, but if the board decided to have one captain for both white-ball formats, then his position could be weak given his T20I record.

Latham was not part of New Zealand’s squad for the recent T20 World Cup 2024 and has not played a T20I in over a year. If the Kiwi selectors decide to have a single captain for both ODI and T20I teams, his recent lack of T20 experience could be a significant factor in decision-making.

It would obviously be a real honor: Tom Latham

As per Cricbuzz, Tom Latham told reporters on July 17: “It would obviously be a real honor. For me, it's always been about trying to put the team first as best as possible, and I'm sure they'll have those discussions around what they want from a team point of view, and certainly if I get the opportunity to do that, it would be really special.”

He added, “I think we’ve seen over many years now that at times we haven’t had those senior guys, whether they’re playing in the IPL or having a rest. From my point of view, it gives me an opportunity as a senior player to step up and lead as well. It’s never great when you miss guys of Kane’s caliber, but it gives opportunities to other guys to put their best foot forward.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand cricket team head coach Gary Stead revealed that the NZC and selector have not yet made a final decision on the selection, but Latham was certainly among the top candidates being considered for the white-ball captaincy.

Stead stated, “We're not at the stage of confirming it yet, so I don't want to speculate whether Tom will be [named captain] or not. But he's certainly one guy who will be in discussions around that role. The important thing is that whoever is in place, we want them in place for two to three years or so, leading to the next ODI World Cup. That will be one of the important decision-making factors that we discuss.”