In a massive blow for the New Zealand National Cricket Team, the Test captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the upcoming match against the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team.
To deal with his absence, the New Zealand National Cricket Team have decided to hand the Test captaincy to the white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner for the match.
Tom Latham suffers a shoulder injury
The New Zealand National Cricket Team are all set to lock horns with the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team in a two-match Test series.
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The Test series opener between the teams is all set to start on July 30 in Bulawayo, and the second Test is also set to be played at the same venue from August 7.
Tom Latham was expected to lead the Kiwis in the series, but he sustained a shoulder injury while fielding during a T20 match for Birmingham earlier this month.
He has not been able to make a quick recovery and has been declared unfit for the first Test against the Chevrons. However, Tom Latham will stay with the squad as NZC are hopeful of the skipper being fine for the second Test match.
Mitchell Santner has been named as the new Test captain of New Zealand in the absence of Tom Latham, and he will become the 32nd man to lead the BlackCaps in the longest format of the game.
It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test – Rob Walter
In an official statement released by New Zealand Cricket (NZC), the Kiwi head coach Rob Walter said that they are disappointed to see Tom Latham being ruled out of the match, but reaffirmed that they will try their best to make the skipper available for the second game. He elaborated:
“It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” said 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.”
I trust that he’s going to do a great job – Rob Walter on Mitchell Santner
Rob Walter further said that Mitchell Santner possesses a strong understanding of the game and backed him to do a great job as Test captain. He said:
“Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series. 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.”
Notably, Mitchell Santner recently steered the BlackCaps to a stunning T20I Tri-Series victory over South Africa and Zimbabwe.
