New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Thursday confirmed that Kane Williamson will not play in the second Test match against West Indies. The NZ skipper will take paternity leave and go to his family after leading his side to an inning and 134 run victory during the first Test.
Wicket-keeper Tom Latham will be leading the side in his absence during the second Test match at Wellington starting December 11.
Head coach Gary Stead had previously stated that Williamson would return for the second Test. But yesterday he revealed during a video conference that Williamson won’t be available for the Wellingotn test.
“It’s a decision we have come to around, I guess, the best decision for him (Williamson) and Sarah, and also for our team long-term, and in terms of him being in a good place to be with Sarah as well. Young will come in and bat three, it’s a logical replacement that he just slips into that position. Will’s played there a lot, so, yeah, it’s a natural replacement,” said Stead in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of BlackCaps.
“Tom Latham will take over as captain. He has been Test captain before in the past for us, and he’s got a calm head on his shoulders, and I know with a lot of other leaders in our team that he will lean on them for their support as well,” he added.
Williamson starred in the first Test by smashing his career-best 251 runs in the Test cricket, also joined Virat Kohli at the second spot in the ICC Test batsmen rankings.
He jumped to 886 points from 812 points while bowler Neil Wagner displaced England’s Stuart Broad for the second place in the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings.
