Santner named NZ white-ball captain

He has already captained the team in 24 T20Is and 4 ODIs

Mitchell Santner has been officially named the full-time captain of New Zealand's white-ball teams, succeeding Kane Williamson, who stepped down following the Black Caps' early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.

Santner with over 100 appearances in both T20Is and ODIs, takes on the leadership roles as New Zealand sets its sights on a busy schedule of white-ball cricket.

The all-rounder, who has already captained the team in 24 T20Is and 4 ODIs, led Kiwis in their most recent assignment in Sri Lanka last month.

His tenure begins with T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka in late December and early January.

These series will kick off a packed schedule for New Zealand, including an ODI tri-series in Pakistan in February, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and a home series against Pakistan to conclude the summer.

"It's obviously a huge honor 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."

Santner acknowledged the challenges ahead, noting the transition as some of the team's experienced players approach the end of their careers.

"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."

New Zealand's head coach, Gary Stead, explained that the decision to appoint Santner was made to allow Test captain Tom Latham to focus fully on his red-ball responsibilities.