Kane Williamson steps down as New Zealand's Test captain, Tim Southee named replacement

In what comes as a shocking development, New Zealand's second most successful Test captain Kane Williamson has stepped down from his duties in the longest format. New Zealand Cricket, on Thursday, made the announcement ahead of Blackcaps' upcoming tour of Pakistan.

Tim Southee, who has quite an experience in leading the nation in T20Is, has been named the successor of Williamson's successor, with Tom Latham being his deputy. 

The World Championship-winning captain said the time was right to step back and to contribute in all three formats is his top priority. 

“Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” Williamson said. “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. 

"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.”

The prolific batter further stated that he would be captaining his country in white-ball formats, keeping two World Cups coming in two years in mind. 

“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," he commented.

The Tauranga-born, who is undoubtedly the best batter from the Island nation, took the reigns from Brendon McCullum in 2016. He captained them in 40 Test matches with a win/loss ratio of 2.20, with his most significant accomplishment in winning the WTC final against India in 2019.

Meanwhile, Southee’s appointment as a Test skipper can raise a few eyebrows; as in Williamson’s absence, Latham has led the Blackcaps in Tests and ODIs. However, in his short portfolio, the seamer has won 13 games out of 22 with a winning percentage of 65.90. 

The 34-year-old seamer will be New Zealand’s first bowling captain in Tests since Daniel Vettori. However, no Kiwi pacer has captained them since Dion Nash in 1998–99.

In terms of numbers, Williamson (22) is just behind Stephen Fleming, who conquered 28 wins from 80 outings as a Test captain. 

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