In a shock twist, Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson has relinquished his Test captaincy, with paceman Tim Southee named as his successor.
Williamson has led the red-ball side since Brendon McCullum’s retirement in 2016, also taking the reins in the ODI and T20 formats.
The call came on Thursday morning ahead of the squad naming to face Pakistan, Williamson saying captaining the Test side has been a great honour.
“Captaining the Blackcaps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” Williamson said at the squad naming.
“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.”
During his reign, Williamson has become New Zealand’s most successful red-ball captain, winning 22 of 40 Tests and leading the side to the inaugural World Test Championship title in 2021.
Despite his success, Williamson’s form has come into question of late, with the batsman struggling to return to his best since an elbow injury in 2020.
Southee and opener Tom Latham have stood as Williamson’s deputies across all formats and have led the side several times in his absence of late.
Coach Gary Stead says Southee’s appointment was an easy one, with the experienced leader adding another dimension coming with a bowlers perspective.
“Tim’s a quality leader with a good cricket brain,” Stead said.
“We’ve seen his captaincy skills on display with the T20 side and I’m sure he’ll continue to bring an aggressive style, whilst still maintaining the core fundamentals of how this Blackcaps team operates in the test arena.
“He will also come from a slightly different perspective in being a bowler which I’m sure will also bring with it new ideas and fresh thinking.”
Southee’s first test as captain will come on December 26 when the Blackcaps take on Pakistan in Karachi.
Latham will serve as Southee’s deputy.
The series marks New Zealand’s first tour of Pakistan since 2003.