Tom Latham Puts Hand Up To Succeed Kane Williamson As ODI Captain

Tom Latham is considering leading the Black Caps' ODI and T20I teams following Kane Williamson's resignation. After the sudden exit from this year's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, Williamson has decided not to renew his New Zealand central contract. Having previously deputized for Williamson, Latham appears to be the top candidate for both roles. In white-ball cricket, Latham has captained New Zealand 57 times (44 ODIs and 13 T20s), and his career record as a batter has improved while leading the team. In ODIs, his career batting average as captain increases from 35.03 to 43.83, with three of his seven centuries coming while leading the team. In the shortest format, his average increases from 25.80 to 35.30 when he is the captain.

Tom Latham puts hand up to succeed Kane Williamson as ODI captain

Star New Zealand batter Tom Latham, who has captained New Zealand in 44 ODIs, is one of the frontrunners to take up the captaincy full-time following Kane Williamson's decision to step down. The 32-year-old Tom Latham, who has previously filled in for Williamson, including at the 2023 Cricket World Cup, is willing to take charge in his absence. The need for a captaincy change has come about after New Zealand has been dealt some big blows in the last two years since Trent Boult decided to forego his central contract to have the flexibility to play in various T20 leagues around the world.

"It would obviously be a real honour. For me, it's always been about trying to put the team first as best as possible, and I'm sure they'll have those discussions around what they want from a team point of view, and certainly, if I get the opportunity to do that, it would be really special," Tom Latham said.

After a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign last month, Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, and Adam Milne have declined their central contracts. Latham mentioned that the flexible contract system has been successful since its introduction. However, with the increasing number of T20 leagues and the evolving cricket environment, it is something that the board and the players' association may need to review.

"Don't know what the right system is, there is a lot of flexibility within our contracts at the moment, but I think with the changing landscape of cricket. We've seen over many years now, at times we haven't had those senior guys. That gives me an opportunity as a senior player to step up and lead as well. It's never great when you miss guys of Kane's calibre, but it gives opportunities to other guys to put their best foot forward," Latham added.

The Black Caps will not play white-ball cricket until November when they tour Sri Lanka. Afterwards, a packed home summer will see fixtures against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, either side of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025, also in Pakistan. Coach Gary Stead is not in a rush to appoint the next captain. He mentioned at NZ Cricket's summer schedule launch that the next captain's main task will be to lead the team to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.