Santner appointed as New Zealand’s new white-ball captain having previously led the side on an interim basis.
Santner named the new white-ball skipper for New Zealand. The left-arm spinner has previously led the side in a stand-in capacity and will start the full-time role against Sri Lanka.
He is replacing Kane Williamson after the latter relinquished his position after the T20 World Cup in June.
“It’s obviously a huge honour and a privilege to be asked,” Santner said. “When you’re a young kid the dream was always to play for New Zealand but to have the opportunity to officially lead my country in two formats is special.
“It’s a new challenge. I’m excited to lead an important period of white ball cricket we have ahead of us.”
They were careful not to increase Tom Latham’s workload as Test captain, head coach Gary Stead clarified. Additionally, Santner is a top pick in both white-ball formats.
“In Tom Latham we have an accomplished and experienced captain who has led the side admirably across all three formats,” Stead said. “Tom’s doing a great job as full-time Test captain since taking over in October and we’re keen to allow him to focus on that job which requires a considerable amount of time and energy.”
“Mitch is a fantastic team man and leads by example in all facets of the game. He’s an incredibly calm and collected personality and he has a huge amount of respect in the changing room, which will serve him well.
“He’s had plenty of experience leading the T20 side and did a good job when he captained the ODI team last month, so he already has a good understanding of what it means to lead the team. I’m sure Mitch will also bring his own ideas and style of leadership to the role.”
Santner has recently enjoyed a resurgence of his Test career with Player of the Match performances against India in Pune and England in Hamilton but New Zealand now have a light schedule in the format during 2025.