Mitchell Santner was named Kane Williamson’s successor as New Zealand Cricket announced the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder as the full-time white-ball captain, having led the side in recent tour to Sri Lanka. Mitchell Santner was on Wednesday (December 18) officially named as the white-ball captain by NZC, succeeding Williamson, who stepped down from the captaincy role in the aftermath of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in June.
Mitchell Santner has been named New Zealand’s new white-ball captain, taking over from Kane Williamson who stepped down after the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Mitchell Santner has previously captained in 24 T20Is and four ODIs and his first series in the full-time role will come against Sri Lanka from late December. The first major event in his tenure will be February’s Champions Trophy before focus turns to building to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Mitchell Santner’s previous stint as skipper for New Zealand .
Santner, who is one of just four players to represent the country over 100 times each in the two white-ball formats, has already led the team in 24 T20Is and 4 ODIs including in the team’s last assignment in Sri Lanka last month.
His tenure as a full-time captain will begin with the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka in late December and early January. The two series begin a heavy run of white ball-cricket for New Zealand, which includes an ODI tri Series in Pakistan in February, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy and a home T20I and ODI series against Pakistan to conclude the home summer.
Apart from leading the team in Sri Lanka earlier this year, Mitchell Santner first led the side in a T20 against West Indies at Bay Oval in November 2020 and became New Zealand’s 24th ODI captain when he led the side in the only ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2022.
The 32-year-old all-rounder Mitchell Santner will have the opportunity to make the role his own. He has a bit of experience in leading the Blackcaps during their recent white-ball series against Sri Lanka. With 243 international caps to his name, Mitchell Santner is thrilled to begin a new chapter in his career after taking the role from stalwart Williamson.
Mitchell Santner is officially appointed New Zealand’s full-time white-ball captain from Sri Lanka Tour 2024-25
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.
Mitchell 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 honor 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.
Head coach Gary Stead explained that they were conscious of not adding to Tom Latham’s workload as Test captain. Santner is also a first-choice selection across both white-ball formats.
Mitchell Santner is extremely happy for the captainship role and is eagerly looking for smooth transition.
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
The 32-year-old Mitchell Santner will begin his full-time captaincy tenure in the upcoming home T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka in late December and early January, starting with the three-match T20 series that begins at Bay Oval on December 28. The Sri Lanka series marks the beginning of a heavy run of white ball cricket for the side, including an ODI Tri Series in Pakistan in February, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy and a home T20 and ODI series against Pakistan to conclude the home summer.