Spin bowler Mitchell Santner has been appointed as New Zealand’s new captain for both white-ball formats, filling the role left vacant for six months after Kane Williamson stepped down. Santner, with 107 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 106 T20 Internationals (T20Is) under his belt, will begin his captaincy with a three-match ODI series at home against Sri Lanka, starting December 28.
The 32-year-old has previously captained New Zealand in 28 white-ball matches, stepping in after Williamson’s departure following the T20 World Cup in June. Santner expressed his excitement about the full-time appointment, calling it a “huge honour.”
“When you’re young, the dream is always to play for New Zealand, but to have the chance to officially lead the country in two formats is really special,” Santner said. “It’s a new challenge, and I’m eager to dive into the important white-ball cricket ahead.”
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead praised Santner’s leadership qualities, noting his “calm and collected” approach. Stead added that Santner’s appointment would allow Test captain Tom Latham to concentrate fully on the longer format.
“Tom’s doing an excellent job as the full-time Test captain since taking over in October, and we want to give him the space to focus on that demanding role,” Stead explained.
Santner’s captaincy announcement followed his standout performance in the third Test against England in Hamilton, where he was named Player of the Match after taking seven wickets and scoring 76 and 49 with the bat in New Zealand’s 423-run victory.
