Pakistan trip will be led by Tim Southee, with Williamson serving as the team’s white-ball captain.
Tim Southee will take over as Test captain for New Zealand on the next tour of Pakistan in place of Kane Williamson, who resigned after six years in the position.
Williamson, who led New Zealand to victory in the first World Test Championship final against India at the Ageas Bowl in 2021, will continue to captain the ODI and T20I teams, and he has also expressed his intention to continue playing in all three forms.
It has been an extraordinarily great honor for Williamson to lead the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket, he said. “Test cricket is the highest level of the game in my opinion, and I have relished the trials of captaining the team in this format.
“At this point in my career, I feel it is appropriate to make this choice because captaincy entails a greater workload both on and off the field. After talking with NZC, we decided that leading in the white-ball formats was preferable given that there will be two World Cups in the following two years.
Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 Test matches after taking over for Brendon McCullum in 2016; he won 22, lost 10, and tied eight matches.
As captain, he averaged 57 and amassed 11 hundred, both of which are New Zealand records. He now transfers control to Southee, who will lead New Zealand in its next 31 Test matches when they take on Pakistan in Karachi on December 26.
Williamson expressed his excitement to back Tim in his role as captain and Tom [Latham] in his role as vice-captain.
“They’ll do a fantastic job, I’m sure of it because I played with both of them for the majority of my career. My top priority is to represent the BLACKCAPS and contribute in all three formats. I’m excited about the upcoming cricket season.”
Having previously led his team in 22 T20Is and one ODI, Southee said: “The past few days have been really weird, and being named Test captain is an enormous honor. I adore Test cricket because it is the greatest challenge, and I am very thrilled about the chance to captain the squad in this setting. I’m looking forward to working with [coach] Gary Stead on how we can build on Kane’s great Test captaincy.”
Williamson’s leadership was praised by New Zealand coach Gary Stead, who added that Southee’s role as bowler-captain will give him a new viewpoint.
“Kane has led the Test team through a period of tremendous success, which is a credit to his ability to unite people and encourage them to work toward a single objective.
“He has undoubtedly set the pace with his own performances, and that was especially true as we battled to win the World Test Championship. We believe that by reducing his workload, Kane Williamson will be able to perform at his peak for longer on the international scene. We also know that he will continue to play an important leadership role in this team.
Tim is a capable leader with a sharp cricket mind, according to Stead. “His leadership abilities with the T20 team have been on the show, and I have no doubt that he will continue to bring an aggressive style while upholding the principles of how this BLACKCAPS team performs in the Test arena.
He will also approach things from a somewhat different angle as a bowler, which I’m sure will also lead to the development of innovative ideas.”
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