Williamson named New Zealand Test skipper

New Zealand have confirmed superstar batsman Kane Williamson will take over as Black Caps Test skipper, following Brendon McCullum’s retirement in February.

Williamson, already captain of New Zealand’s one-day international and Twenty20 outfits, will be the Black Caps’ 29th Test captain.

The 25-year-old was the red-hot favourite to take over the role after McCullum played his final Test against Australia in Christchurch, but New Zealand had opted to defer the decision until after the ICC World T20 in India to ensure the team’s focus remained solely on the shortest form of the game.

Williamson’s captaincy at the tournament, where he led New Zealand to a spot in the semi-finals before their campaign was cut short by England, impressed enough for him to win the role across all three formats.

New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White said Williamson was the right man to lead the team forward.

"Kane has been a leader within the team for a long time now and already shown himself to be an extremely capable captain," White said.

"He’s respected by his peers and the wider cricket community for his professional approach both on and off the field, and has a superb cricket brain.

"His drive to see the team succeed and his passion for the game are what you look for in a leader. He’s ready for the role and will only continue to grow."


Williamson said he was confident that the group of players New Zealand have right now, they can achieve a lot as a team. "It's certainly an honour. I've really enjoyed my time spent as captain and believe this team can achieve a lot," he said. "I'm lucky to have a number of experienced players around me for support and will certainly look to utilise this. We're all striving for the same thing and that's to represent New Zealand with pride and win cricket games.

"I've certainly learnt a lot from Brendon, as has everyone who has played with him. The culture that he and Mike have cultivated has been a huge part of this team's success in recent times. We not only have good players, but good people too and that certainly makes any captain's job easier."

Williamson has played 48 Tests so far to accumulate 4037 runs at an average of 49.23. He has 13 centuries to his name and will be New Zealand's 29th Test captain.