Kane Williamson will step down as captain of the New Zealand Test side, a New Zealand Cricket release said on Wednesday night. Pacer Tim Southee will take up the leadership mantle. However, Williamson will continue to lead the Kiwis in ODI and T20I cricket and has reiterated his desire to play all three formats internationally. “Captaining New Zealand in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” Williamson said.
He will remain with the Test team as a specialist batter and continue to captain New Zealand in the 50 and 20 over formats of the game, with two World Cups on the horizon.“Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” Williamson said. “For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format. 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 the 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.”
Opening bat Tom Latham will take on the role of Southee’s vice-captain.New Zealand coach Gary Stead said he hoped by standing down as captain, Williamson would be able to further prolong his career in the Test arena.“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 said.
