New Zealand have appointed all-rounder Mitchell Santner as the new white-ball captain, replacing Kane Williamson. Santner, who has led the Black Caps in 24 T20Is and four ODIs, was the captain in a couple of T20Is and three ODIs against Sri Lanka last month and now has been appointed in the role full-time. Santner's full-time stint will kick off with another series against Sri Lanka, this time at home on December 28 with a couple of T20Is in Mount Maunganui.
“It's obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be asked,” said Santner in an NZC release.
“When you're a young kid the dream was always to play for New Zealand but to have the opportunity to officially lead my country in two formats is special. It’s a new challenge and I’m excited to get stuck into the important period of white-ball cricket that we have ahead of us, Santner added.
With Williamson opting out of a central contract and stepping down from his role as captain across formats, Santner, Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Test captain Tom Latham and the young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra were among few of the options for the Black Caps.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead offered an insight into why Santner was preferred ahead of other options saying that the all-rounder having led the side on and off already has an idea as to what it's like to lead the side and was confident that the 32-year-old would do a good job.
"Mitch is a fantastic team man and leads by example in all facets of the game,” said Stead.
"He’s had plenty of experience leading the T20 side and did a good job when he captained the ODI team last month, so he already has a good understanding of what it means to lead the team," Stead added while mentioning that Latham wasn't considered as the team management wanted the Test captain to focus all his energies into leading the red-ball team.
“Tom’s doing a great job as full-time Test captain since taking over in October and we’re keen to allow him to focus on that job which requires a considerable amount of time and energy," Stead added.
With the Champions Trophy scheduled in the next couple of months, a T20 World Cup in 2026 and the ODI World Cup in 2027, Santner has a massive job at his hands but has the likes of Williamson, Latham and Daryl Mitchell at his disposal as and when he requires support.
