Kane Williamson Step Down As Test Captain: ICC World Test Championship 2021 winning captain Kane Williamson has stepped down as the captain of the New Zealand Test team where Tim Southee was named as his replacement.
Kane Williamson Step Down As Test Captain
The batter was appointed Test skipper in 2016 when he replaced current England coach Brendon McCullum. Kane Williamson finishes as New Zealand’s most successful Test captain, winning 22 of 40 matches while registering eight draws and just 10 defeats.
Williamson averaged 57.43 in Test cricket across six years and 65 innings with a noticeable difference from his average of 49.23 when not leading the national side.
“Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour,” Williamson said. “For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format.
Williamson led New Zealand to the World Cup final in 2019 and the T20 World Cup final in 2021, which they lost to England and Australia.
“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 added.
Williamson will continue to lead New Zealand in ODI and T20I cricket and has reiterated his desire to play all three formats internationally. Tom Latham has been confirmed as Test vice-captain, after previously leading the side in Williamson’s absence.
Notably, ahead of IPL 2023 Auction, IPL 2022 SRH captain Kane Williamson has been released by the franchise. But the New Zealand star enrolled his name in the IPL 2023 Auction players list for the upcoming mini-auction on December 23.
David White on Kane Williamson’s Decision
Paying tribute to Williamson, New Zealand Cricket CEO David White reckoned to make sure Williamson plays for ‘as long as possible’ was a 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 echoed those thoughts when 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.”
Tim Southee Praises Kane Williamson
Tim Southee who was named as the skipper of the New Zealand Test team said it was humbling to be asked to lead the Test side.
“It’s been a surreal few days and it’s just a massive honour to be appointed as Test captain. I love Test cricket, it’s the ultimate challenge and I’m really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format. Kane’s been an outstanding Test captain and I’m looking forward to working with Gary on how we can build on that.”
Apart from bagging 347 wickets across 88 Tests, Tim Southee is well known for his kind-hearted gestures. Everyone left in awe when Tim Southee auction his WTC 21 finals jersey for an 8-year-old kid’s treatment.
Tim Southee will lead the New Zealand Test team as full-time captain in their Pakistan tour where they were set to play 2 Test matches. The first match of the series will be played on December 26 in National Stadium, Karachi while the last match will be played on January 3, 2023, in Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan.
The Test series will be followed by 3 match ODI series between January 10 – 14 with all three matches at National Stadium, Karachi.
