New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe due to a shoulder injury. In his absence, all-rounder Mitchell Santner will lead the side, and he will be the 32nd player to lead the BlackCaps in the longest format of the game.
Latham, who got injured earlier this month while fielding in a T20I clash in Birmingham, is currently on the road to recovery and will play the Test series opener, which will take place from July 30 at Bulawayo. He will stay with the squad and hopes to be fit for the second Test, starting August 7.
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Santner, who has played 30 Tests, takes charge fresh from guiding New Zealand to victory in a T20I Tri-Series in Harare, where the Kiwis went unbeaten. Head coach Rob Walter admitted Latham’s absence is a big blow.
"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.” he further added.
Walter said the team was in good hands with Santner.
“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.”
The upcoming two-Test match series will not be part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and this is the first time since 2016, New Zealand will play in Zimbabwe. New Zealand's WTC cycle s will start with the three-Test home series against the West Indies in December.