Mitchell Santner, a spin bowler, was elected New Zealand captain for both white ball formats on Wednesday, filling a six-month void left by Kane Williamson. Santner, who has played 107 one-day matches and 106 T20Is, will start his reign with a three-match homecoming ODI series against Sri Lanka on December 28.
The 32-year-old used to captain New Zealand in 28 white ball matches, some as a stand-in after Williamson left the position following the T20 World Cup in June. Santner called his full-time position a “huge honor.”
“Especially when you’re an infant, the dream was always to play for New Zealand, but to have chances to lead the country in two distinct formats unofficially is special,” the contestant added.
It’s a fresh task, and I’m delighted to get started on the significant era of white-ball cricket ahead of us.” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said Santner will bring a “calm and collected” leadership style, letting Test captain Tom Latham focus on the longer format.
“Tom’s doing outstanding work as full-time Test the captain since taking over in October, and we’re keen for him to focus on that job which requires considerable effort and energy,” Stead told the BBC.
Santner’s promotion comes only one day after he was selected player-of-the-match in New Zealand’s 423-run victory over England in the third Test in Hamilton. He grabbed seven wickets and scored 76 and 49 with the bat.