Why is Tom Latham not captaining New Zealand in today’s 2023 World Cup match?
New Zealand's regular skipper Kane Williamson recently attained match fitness and has made his much-awaited comeback. He is back, leading the Kiwis side in their third match of the 2023 World Cup against Bangladesh on Friday (October 13) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Williamson got injured during the opening match of IPL 2023 earlier this year while fielding near the boundary line. He has been out of action ever since then. He underwent surgery and has raced against time to get fit in time for the 2023 World Cup.
Vice-captain Tom Latham acted as the stand-in captain for New Zealand in his absence. He led the team well as they registered comfortable victories over England and the Netherlands so far in the tournament.
Latham made sure that the Kiwis team did not miss Williamson much in the captaincy role with his astute decisions on the field, which impressed many critics. However, he will now have to revert to his deputy role as Kane Williamson is back at the helm.
Speaking after winning the toss, Williamson said:
"We are going to have a bowl first. It looks like a good surface, we'll try and use it. Nice to be standing here now, and nice to progress well. Yes, a lot of times (if he thought he wouldn't make it to the tournament) Definitely, there have been a lot of positives. Just one change, Will Young misses out."
New Zealand playing XI:
Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Bangladesh playing XI:
Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman
Do you think New Zealand will continue its winning run after Kane Williamson took over the reins as captain from Tom Latham? Let us know your views in the comments section.