'A huge honor and a privilege': Mitchell Santner appointed full-time white ball captain of New Zealand

New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been appointed full-time white-ball captain, taking over from Kane Williamson, who stepped down after the early elimination in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The spinner had led the white-ball sides on a sporadic basis in the absence of seniors, dating back to 2020.

Santner has a decent record as a part-time skipper, and now that he is a senior all-format member of the side, his transition is complete. Leading the Blackcaps in 24 T20Is and four ODIs, the all-rounder has 14 wins as captain. With the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup on the horizon, the new leader has a mammoth task.

He recently led the team during the white-ball leg of the Sri Lanka tour. His first assignment as the full-time captain is also set to come against the same opposition, albeit in home conditions.

“It's obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be asked. 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," Santner said in a statement (via nzc.nz)

New Zealand's split captaincy model now has Mitchell Santner as the captain for the limited-overs format, while Tom Latham is in charge of the red-ball side after Tim Southee stepped down earlier this year.

"There’s obviously a little bit of a changing of the guard" - Mitchell Santner ready for the transition challenge

Several members of the New Zealand side, including talisman Kane Williamson, are approaching the twilight of their careers. Few players also have limited availability after opting out of the central contract. These are some of the big-picture challenges that Santner will have on his hands in his early days as full-time captain.

"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," Santner added

New Zealand's home white-ball series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to begin from December 28 onwards.

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