Williamson steps down as NZ Test skipper, Southee named as replacement
Auckland (PTI): Kane Williamson, who led New Zealand to the World Test Championship triumph in its inaugural edition, stepped down as captain from the longest format, the country's cricket board announced on Thursday.
Tim Southee has been named the replacement in their WTC title defence. Williamson will continue to lead the side in the white-ball format with focus on the ODI World Cup in 2023 and T20 World Cup in 2024. Tom Latham has been appointed their vice-captain.
"Captaining the Black Caps in Test cricket has been an incredibly special honour," said Williamson, who took over the role in 2016 from Brendon McCullum.
"For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I've enjoyed the challenges of leading the side in the format."
Statistically, Williamson is the best Test captain in New Zealand's history, winning 22 of 40 matches at the helm, as well as eight draws and just 10 defeats.
Under his leadership, New Zealand reached the top of the Test rankings before emerging as winners of ICC Test Championship, beating India in the final in June last year.
On his decision, Williamson said: "Captaincy comes with an increased workload on and off the field and at this stage of my career I feel the time is right for this decision.
"After discussions with NZC, we felt that continuing to captain the white-ball formats was preferable with two World Cups in the next two years."
Williamson said Southee and Latham will have him as a source of help throughout his tenure.
"I'm excited to support Tim as captain and Tom as vice-captain," he said.
"Having played with both of them for most of my career, I'm confident they'll do a great job."
Southee, who has 346 internationals to his name and has led the T20 side on 22 occasions, will become New Zealand's 31st Test captain when he leads the team during this month's Test tour to Pakistan.
The first Test begins on the Boxing Day at Karachi.
"It's been a surreal few days and it's just a massive honour to be appointed as Test captain," Southee said.
"I love Test cricket, it's the ultimate challenge and I'm really excited by the opportunity to lead the team in this format.
"Kane's been an outstanding Test captain and I'm looking forward to working with Gary on how we can build on that," he added.
Paying his tribute to Williamson, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said: "Kane's guided the Test team through an immensely successful period which is testament to his ability to bring people together and work towards a common goal.
"He's certainly led from the front with his own performances and that was very much the case during our push to win the World Test Championship.
"The Test team has continued to evolve and develop during his time and the fact we've been able to introduce new players and see them thrive almost instantly is a credit to Kane and his leadership.
"We hope by lessening his workload we can continue to see the best of Kane Williamson for longer on the international stage, and we know he will remain a key leader in this group."
Sead said the decision to appoint Southee as captain came down to the direction in which the Test team wanted to head.
"Tim's a quality leader with a good cricket brain," Stead said.
"We've seen his captaincy skills on display with the T20 side and I'm sure he'll continue to bring an aggressive style, whilst still maintaining the core fundamentals of how this Blackcaps team operates in the Test arena.
"He will also come from a slightly different perspective in being a bowler which I'm sure will also bring with it new ideas and fresh thinking."
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Mann has 'understanding' with Amit Shah to split AAP after Lok Sabha polls, claims SAD chief Badal
Sangrur (Punjab), May 11: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has an "understanding" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to split AAP into a separate Punjab unit after the elections, like Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed on Saturday.
Badal made the claim while addressing rallies at Sunam and Dhuri for the Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Sangrur candidate Iqbal Singh Jhundan.
"Bhagwant Mann has compromised with the BJP as he felt he would also be arrested like his boss (Arvind) Kejriwal because he had also perpetrated the same liquor scam as done by AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from arrest," Badal alleged.
Shiv Sena leader Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister after parting ways with Uddhav Thackeray and forming an alliance with the BJP.
The Election Commission of India has since recognised the Shinde faction as officially representing the Shiv Sena while the Thackeray-led faction has been using the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) name.
The Shiromani Akali Dal chief also asserted that no Delhi-based party can be trusted with votes.
"Bhagwant Mann has opened channels with both the BJP and the Congress to hedge his bet. While he has an informal understanding with the BJP, he has also aligned with the Congress in Punjab and is putting up a friendly fight in most constituencies," Badal said.
He cited how AAP is contesting against the Congress in Punjab but Mann has been campaigning for the grand old party in Chandigarh and Haryana.
AAP and the Congress are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc. While the two parties are contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently in Punjab, they have an alliance in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Urging Punjabis to "seal the borders" for all Delhi-based parties, Badal said, "The AAP government in Punjab and the Union government colluded to prevent our farmers from marching to Delhi. This led to firing of tear gas shells at our farmers and even firing of rubber bullets. Now it is your turn to seal the borders of Punjab with your votes."
He also made a case for trusting the Shiromani Akali Dal -- a home-grown party of Punjab.
Badal said the Shiromani Akali Dal has always stood for safeguarding the interests of Punjab and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone when it became clear that the BJP was not ready to resolve any of the pending grievances of the farmers or the Sikh community.
He also announced that once the Shiromani Akali Dal is elected to power, it will release tubewell connections to all agriculturists who do not have a single connection in their name.
He also promised that all social welfare schemes that have been curtailed by successive Congress and AAP governments would be revived in totality.
