NZ vs WI: Williamson to miss second Test, Latham to lead Kiwis
Dec 10, 2020
Wellington [New Zealand], December 10 : Kane Williamson will be missing the second Test against West Indies and as a result, Tom Latham will be leading the side, New Zealand coach Gary Stead confirmed on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Stead had said Williamson will be playing in the second Test, but in a new video statement, the coach went on to say that Williamson would not be playing in order to be with his wife.
Williamson will miss the second Test in order to be with his partner Sarah Raheem in Tauranga for the birth of their first child. Will Young, who made his debut in the first Test, will play at number three, while Latham will lead the side.
"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's first child is set to be born very soon, and the Kiwi skipper had left the squad earlier today to take a trip home in Tauranga to be with his wife.
On Wednesday, Stead had said that he is perfectly fine with Williamson going on paternity leave later this month and said 'other things are much more important' than cricket.
Williamson's career-best score of 251 in the first Test against West Indies had helped him jump up two places to join Virat Kohli at number two position in the latest ICC Test batsmen rankings.
With his recent performance, he gained 74 points, moving from 812 to 886. His compatriot, Tom Latham, garnered his career-best points tally of 733 and settled into the tenth place on the table, thanks to his innings of 86.
If New Zealand wins the series against the Windies, then the side will topple England at the third spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
