ZIM vs NZ | New Zealand captain Tom Latham ruled out of first Test with shoulder injury

‌New Zealand suffered a big blow ahead of their first Test against Zimbabwe with captain Tom Latham being ruled out with a shoulder injury. The left-handed opener was injured while fielding, after scoring a century in the first innings for the Birmingham Bears in a Vitality Blast game against Derbyshire earlier this month.

"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."

In the absence of Latham, NZ’s white-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the side in the first Test at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The all-rounder successfully led New Zealand to the T20I Tri-Series title, also featuring South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe, on Saturday.

"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."

New Zealand will play two Test matches against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, with the second Test starting on August 7th.