Black Caps vs Sri Lanka: Mitchell Santner announced as New Zealand white ball captain

Mitchell Santner leads the Black Caps in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Photo / Photosport

Mitchell Santner has been confirmed as the Black Caps’ white ball captain, and will take charge of the 50 and 20 over sides effective immediately.

The 32-year-old succeeds Kane Williamson in the role, who stood down after this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US.

Santner is no stranger to captaining New Zealand. He’s already led the Black Caps in four one-day internationals and 24 T20 internationals since first assuming the role in 2020.

“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.”

As a player, Santner’s record stands out as one of the best white ball players to ever wear the silver fern.

Since replacing Daniel Vettori in 2015, Santner has played 107 ODI, and taken 108 wickets at an average of just over 37, at an economy rate of less than five runs per over - a world-class number given the aggressive nature of the shorter formats.

In T20s, Santner has played 106 internationals for 117 wickets at an average of just over 22, and seen him become a prized commodity in international leagues, notably selling for NZ $488,000 to the Mumbai Indians in this year’s Indian Premier League auction.

This year, he’s also shown his wares as a test player, and has won two man-of-the-match awards in his last two appearances, wins over India and England respectively.

Santner’s appointment comes at a crucial time for New Zealand, and will lead the side to the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE in February.

The decision to appoint Santner also sees the Black Caps continue to operate with a split captaincy, while Tom Latham holds the test role.

Latham had publicly expressed interest in holding both roles simultaneously, however coach Gary Stead outlined the importance of allowing him to lead solely in the longest format.

“Mitch is a fantastic team man and leads by example in all facets of the game,” said Stead. “He’s an incredibly calm and collected personality and he has a huge amount of respect in the changing room, which will stand him in good stead.

“In Tom Latham we have an accomplished and experienced captain who has led the side admirably across all three formats.

“Tom’s doing a great job as fulltime test captain since taking over in October and we’re keen to allow him to focus on that job which requires a considerable amount of time and energy.”

Santner’s first assignment as fulltime captain will be against Sri Lanka later this month, with three T20s and three ODIs before completing the summer against Pakistan.