Mitchell Santner has been appointed the New Zealand’s new white ball captain, officially taking over the role from Kane Williamson, who stepped down following the ICC T20 World Cup in June.
“It’s obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be asked,” said Santner.
“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.”
The 32-year-old will officially start his full-time captaincy tenure in the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka in late December and early January.
“It’s a huge honour and a privilege.”
Hear from Mitchell Santner on his appointment as the new BLACKCAPS white ball captain 🏏 #CricketNation pic.twitter.com/dxWKij1f5Z
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 17, 2024
Santner said it was an exciting time to lead both white ball sides.
“There’s obviously a little bit of a changing of the guard with some of our experienced players at the back end of their careers.
“I think that’s exciting for the remainder of the group and the young players to now take on the challenge and drive this team forward to further success.”
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said Santner was a great fit for the role.
“Mitch is a fantastic team man and leads by example in all facets of the game,” said Stead.
“He’s an incredibly calm and collected personality and he has a huge amount of respect in the changing room, which will serve him well.
“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.
“I’m sure Mitch will also bring his own ideas and style of leadership to the role.”
Stead explained the decision to hand Santner the mantle for both ODI and T20I teams was one based on the needs of the wider team.
“In Tom Latham we have an accomplished and experienced captain who has led the side admirably across all three formats.
“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.”
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