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.
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑻𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝑹𝒐𝒃 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓. “𝑾𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 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.
“𝑴𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒋𝒐𝒃 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻20 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒅,” 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅. “𝑯𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎.”
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.
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