New Zealand has suffered a major blow ahead of their first Test against Zimbabwe as regular skipper Tom Latham has been ruled out due to a shoulder injury. The Test, scheduled to begin on July 30 in Bulawayo, will now see Mitchell Santner step in as the stand-in captain, marking his debut as a Test skipper.

Latham sustained the injury earlier this month while fielding in a Vitality Blast T20 match for the Birmingham Bears. Although he traveled with the squad to Zimbabwe, the left-handed opener has not recovered fully in time for the series opener.

Santner to Lead in Latham’s Absence

With Latham sidelined, New Zealand’s white-ball captain Mitchell Santner has been given the reins of the red-ball side, becoming the 32nd player to lead the Kiwis in Test cricket.

β€œπ‘°π’•β€™π’” π’‰π’–π’ˆπ’†π’π’š π’…π’Šπ’”π’‚π’‘π’‘π’π’Šπ’π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 π‘»π’π’Ž 𝒕𝒐 π’Žπ’Šπ’”π’” 𝒐𝒖𝒕, π’†π’”π’‘π’†π’„π’Šπ’‚π’π’π’š 𝒂𝒔 π’„π’‚π’‘π’•π’‚π’Šπ’ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 π’Œπ’†π’š π’‘π’π’‚π’šπ’†π’“,” π’”π’‚π’Šπ’… 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒐𝒃 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓. β€œπ‘Ύπ’†β€™π’π’ π’˜π’π’“π’Œ 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 π’‰π’Šπ’Ž π’“π’†π’‚π’…π’š 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕.”

Despite the setback, Latham will remain with the squad and is targeting a return for the second Test, which starts on August 7. The coaching staff is optimistic about his recovery and, for now, no replacement player has been named.

Santner’s Leadership Qualities Earn Test Captaincy

This will be Santner’s first time leading in the longest format, though his leadership credentials have already been proven in white-ball cricket. Earlier this year, he captained New Zealand to a T20I tri-series victory in Harare, which included a thrilling win over South Africa in the final.

β€œπ‘΄π’Šπ’•π’„π’‰ π’…π’Šπ’… 𝒂 π’˜π’π’π’…π’†π’“π’‡π’–π’ 𝒋𝒐𝒃 π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻20 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅,” 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅. β€œπ‘―π’† 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’ˆπ’‚π’Žπ’† π’˜π’†π’π’, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’•π’†π’‚π’Ž 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 π’‰π’Šπ’Ž.”

Santner has featured in 30 Tests but will now face a new challenge as the captain in a format that demands resilience and strategy. With the support of seasoned Test players around him, the management is confident in his ability to lead.

This two-match series marks New Zealand’s first red-ball tour of Zimbabwe since 2016, and all eyes will be on how the visitors adapt under new leadership.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir in Verbal Spat with Oval Groundsman Ahead of Final Test

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