New Zealand have named Mitchell Santner as their new captain of the men’s team for both ODIs and T20Is.
Santner will officially take over from Kane Williamson, who had resigned after the T20 World Cup in June earlier this year. The tournament was the first in the 21st century when New Zealand failed to reach the second round of a men’s global tournament.
New Zealand have played only three ODIs and two T20Is since then, in Sri Lanka in November. Santner led them in all these matches, but his appointment had not been full-time. Now 32, Santner will begin his full-time stint in the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, starting late December, while his first major assignment will be the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in early 2025.
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Santner has played 30 Tests, 107 ODIs, and 106 T20Is so far. Along with Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, and Tim Southee, he is the only other New Zealand cricketer to have played both 100 ODIs and 100 T20Is. Among these, he has led New Zealand in four ODIs and 24 T20Is till date.
“It's obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be asked,” said Santner. “When you’re a young kid the dream was always to play for New Zealand but to have the opportunity to officially lead my country in two formats is special. It’s a new challenge and I’m excited to get stuck into the important period of white ball cricket that we have ahead of us.”
“There’s obviously a little bit of a changing of the guard with some of our experienced players at the back end of their careers. I think that’s exciting for the remainder of the group and the young players to now take on the challenge and drive this team forward to further success.”
Coach Gary Stead praised the move: “Mitch is a fantastic team man and leads by example in all facets of the game. He’s an incredibly calm and collected personality and he has a huge amount of respect in the changing room, which will serve him well.
“He’s had plenty of experience leading the T20 side and did a good job when he captained the ODI team last month, so he already has a good understanding of what it means to lead the team. I’m sure Mitch will also bring his own ideas and style of leadership to the role.”
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