(ANI Photo)
Tom Latham, the wicketkeeper-batter of New Zealand, is considering the opportunity to step into the role of white-ball captaincy after Kane Williamson’s recent decision to resign from the position.
In the wake of New Zealand’s unexpected exit from the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, Williamson has opted out of his central contract with New Zealand Cricket, leaving the team without a captain for white-ball formats.
Having previously taken charge of the team in Williamson’s absence, Latham emerges as the primary contender for the white-ball captaincy. The wicketkeeper has conveyed his eagerness to lead his nation on a permanent basis.
“It would obviously be a real honour,” Latham told reporters on Wednesday. “For me it’s always been about trying to put the team first as best as possible and I’m sure they’ll have those discussions around what they want from a team point of view and certainly if I get the opportunity to do that it would be really special,” he said.
While Tom Latham is a strong contender for the captaincy, Test captain Tim Southee is also being considered for leadership across all three formats. Head coach Gary Stead mentioned that the management is still in the process of finalizing their decision, but Latham’s name has certainly been actively discussed in these deliberations.
“It’s something that [selection manager] Sam Wells and I will talk about in the next little while. We’re not at the stage of confirming it yet, so I don’t want to speculate whether Tom will be or not. But he’s certainly one guy that will be in discussions around that role.
“The important thing is whoever is in place, we want in place for two to three years or so, leading to that next World Cup. That will be one of the important decision-making factors that we discuss,” the head coach said.
Following a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign last month, Kane Williamson, along with Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne, have opted out of their central contracts. Williamson has chosen to take up a casual contract instead of a central one.
“Think at the moment where cricket’s going in New Zealand is slightly different. It’s certainly not a black and white situation, and certainly changing with all these leagues popping up. Guess everyone is in a slightly different boat in what their future may look like depending on their age or stage they are in life,” said Latham.
The 32-year-old emphasized that although the flexible contract system has proven effective since its introduction, the growing proliferation of T20 leagues and the evolving cricket landscape might warrant a reassessment by both the board and the players’ association.
“Don’t know what the right system is, there is a lot of flexibility within our contracts at the moment, but I think with the changing landscape of cricket I’m sure it will be something that New Zealand Cricket and the players’ association look at and try and come up with something,” he said.
“We’ve seen over many years now, at times we haven’t had those senior guys. That gives me an opportunity as a senior player to step up and lead as well. But also other guys who haven’t necessarily had opportunities in the past to step up in different leadership roles. It’s never great when you miss guys of Kane’s calibre, but it gives opportunities to other guys to put their best foot forward,” said Latham.
