Kane Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 tests – with 22 wins, 10 defeats and eight draws
\n Islamabad
\nKane Williamson has stepped down as New Zealand Test captain and has been replaced by Tim Southee, the country\u2019s cricket board (NZC) said on Thursday.
\nAfter taking charge in 2016, Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 tests – with 22 wins, 10 defeats and eight draws – and led the team to victory over India in the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021.
\n\u201cFor me, test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I\u2019ve enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format,\u201d said Williamson.
\n\u201cCaptaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career I feel the time is right for this decision.\u201d
\nWilliamson will remain New Zealand\u2019s white-ball captain and he said he will continue to play in all three formats.
\nSouthee, who stood in as captain for 22 Twenty20 internationals between 2017-21, will lead the test team on their next assignment – a two-match series in Pakistan starting later this month.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a surreal few days and it\u2019s just a massive honour to be appointed as test captain,\u201d Southee said.
\n\u201cI love test cricket, it\u2019s the ultimate challenge and I\u2019m really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format.\u201d
\nNZ announces squad for Pakistan tour
\nNZC also announced their squad for the tour of Pakistan on Thursday, with spinner Ish Sodhi returning to the Test team four years after his last appearance in the longest format.
\nBatsman Glenn Phillips, whose only previous test match appearance for New Zealand came against Australia in 2020, was also included in the squad, while fast bowlers Trent Boult (unavailable) and Kyle Jamieson (back injury) missed out.
\nNew Zealand have included leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in their 15-member squad for their upcoming tour to Pakistan for the two-match Test series.
\nThe 30-year-old has been included alongside Glenn Phillips and uncapped Blair Tickner for the series which is scheduled to start in Karachi on December 26 and conclude in Multan on January 3.
\n\u201cI know all three of the guys have a real passion for the longest form of the game and are looking forward to getting into their red-ball work at the pre-tour camp in Lincoln this week,\u201d said New Zealand Coach Gary Stead on the trio\u2019s inclusion in the squad.
\nOn Sodhi\u2019s inclusion, the Blackcaps coach said that they have included Sodhi after looking at the current conditions and style of play in the Pakistan and England Test series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kane Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 tests – with 22 wins, 10 defeats and eight draws Islamabad Kane Williamson has stepped down as New Zealand Test captain and has been replaced by Tim Southee, the country\u2019s cricket board (NZC) said on Thursday. After taking charge in 2016, Williamson captained New Zealand in 40 tests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-301545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n