The time is right for this decision – Kane Williamson relinquishes Test captaincy duties

New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson has decided to relinquish his Test captaincy duties with immediate effect. Tim Southee will take over the captaincy baton from Williamson for the Kiwis with Tom Latham to serve as the deputy.

Southee, who has all the experience under his belt, will become New Zealand’s 31st Test captain. The fast bowler has led New Zealand in 22 T20I matches.

Meanwhile, Williamson took New Zealand’s Test captaincy six and a half years ago. The 32-year-old finishes as New Zealand’s most successful Test captain, winning 22 of 40 matches at the helm, as well as registering eight draws and suffering only 10 losses. Williamson led New Zealand to the Test Championship title in 2021 as they defeated India in the final at Southampton.

Williamson said it was an honour for him to lead the team and he would continue to support Tim Southee.

As quoted by the official website, Williamson said: “Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour. 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 this 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.”

“I’m excited to support Tim as captain and Tom as vice-captain. Having played with both of them for most of my career, I’m confident they’ll do a great job. Playing for the BLACKCAPS and contributing in all three formats is my number one priority and I’m looking forward to the cricket we have ahead.”

On the other hand, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said Williamson led from the front as far as his own performances were concerned.

“Kane guided the Test team through an immensely successful period which is a testament to his ability to bring people together and work towards a common goal. He’s certainly led from the front with his own performances and that was very much the case during our push to win the World Test Championship.

“We hope by lessening his workload we can continue to see the best of Kane Williamson for longer on the international stage, and we know he will remain a key leader in this group.”

Tim Southee’s first assignment as a Test captain will be against Pakistan. The Kiwis will play the first Test match against Babar Azam-led team from December 26 at the National Stadium, Karachi.