Kane Williamson steps down as Black Caps' Test captain, Southee to take over

New Zealand's charismatic leader and veteran batter Kane Williamson will step down as the captain of the Black Caps side in the longest format of the game. Williamson, who has played 88 Tests for the Black Caps, will continue to lead New Zealand in the limited-overs format. Senior pacer Tim Southee will lead New Zealand in the longest format of the game, New Zealand Cricket confirmed on Thursday.

Williamson masterminded New Zealand's memorable title triumph in the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship. Though Williamson has decided to relinquish the Test captaincy, the senior batter has expressed his desire to play all formats for the Black Caps. While speed merchant Southee is set to replace Williamson as New Zealand's Test captain, opener Tom Latham has been appointed as his deputy in the oldest format of the game.

"Captaining the BLACKCAPS in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour. For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I've enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format. Captaincy 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," Williamson told New Zealand Cricket.

One of the finest leaders in the modern era of the game, Williamson captained New Zealand in 38 Test matches. Under his leadership, the ICC Test Championship holders won 22 matches, registered 8 draws and suffered defeats in 10 red-ball games. Williamson amassed 7,368 runs and the premier batter has a noteworthy average of 52. 62 in the longest format of the game. The 32-year-old batter has slammed 24 centuries and 33 half-centuries for the Black Caps in 88 Test matches. Williamson made his Test debut for New Zealand against Team India at the Narendra Modi Stadium back in 2010.

"After discussions with NZC, we felt that continuing to captain the white-ball formats was preferable with two World Cups in the next two years. I'm excited to support Tim as captain and Tom as vice-captain. Having played with both of them for most of my career, I'm confident they'll do a great job. Playing for the BLACKCAPS and contributing in all three formats is my number one priority and I'm looking forward to the cricket we have ahead," Williamson added.