Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, stepped down from his Test captaincy on Thursday (December 15), and Tim Southee will take his place. Williamson will still serve as the Blackcaps’ captain in the limited-overs format, with two white-ball World Cups in mind.
The right-handed batter led New Zealand in 38 Test matches, winning 22 of them after Brendon McCullum resigned as captain in 2016. His team’s victory over India in the Final of the Test Championships in 2021, in which he captained New Zealand, was the high point of his tenure as the Test captain. The Blackcaps have experienced some of the greatest moments in Test cricket under Williamson.
“Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour. For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format. 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,” Williamson said.
Kane’s guided the Test team through an immensely successful period: Gary Stead
Williamson received praise from New Zealand Cricket CEO David White, who stated that keeping Williamson on the field for “as long as possible” was the top priority.
Kane is one of our all-time greats and our priority is to ensure he enjoys his cricket and plays for New Zealand for as long as possible. He’s a brilliant leader and the success the team has achieved during his time in the longest and arguably toughest format of the game, has been nothing short of remarkable,” White said.
Head Coach Gary Stead also shared similar thoughts on Williamson. He said, “Kane’s 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.”
“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.”
