Latham out of first Test against Zimbabwe, Santner to stand in as NZ captain

New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe, starting on July 30 in Bulawayo, with a shoulder injury. In his absence, New Zealand white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side.

Latham suffered the injury while fielding during a Vitality Blast game for Birmingham Bears earlier this month and did not recover in time for the first Test. According to an NZC release, he will remain with the squad and hope to be fit for the second Test starting August 7.

"It's hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team," head coach Rob Walter said.

"It's never great when you lose your captain, who's a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we're going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test. "We'll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he'll recover in time."

Santner, who's played 30 Tests, will be leading New Zealand in the format for the first time. New Zealand will go into the Tests fresh off a T20I tri-series win in Harare where they remained unbeaten throughout the series under Santner's captaincy.

"Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series," Walter said. "He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.

"Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he's going to do a great job."

The two-match series will mark New Zealand's first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016.