Latham suffered an injury while fielding during a T20 match for Birmingham earlier this month and has not recovered sufficiently to be included in the eleven for the series opener in Bulawayo on Wednesday. He will remain with the squad with the hope that he will be fit for the second Test starting August 7.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Santner, who has 30 Test caps to his name, assumes the role fresh off a T20I Tri-Series victory in Harare, where New Zealand remained undefeated throughout the five-match series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said Latham\u2019s skillset and leadership would be greatly missed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It\u2019s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,\u201d said Walter. \u201cIt\u2019s never great when you lose your captain, who\u2019s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said, we\u2019re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We\u2019ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he'll recover in time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Walter said the team was in good hands with Santner.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series. He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Walter said the team was in good hands with Santner.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The two-match series, which is not part of the World Test Championship (WTC), will mark New Zealand's first Test tour of Zimbabwe since 2016. The 2021 WTC champions will start their WTC cycle with the three-Test home series against the West Indies in December.<\/p>\r\n\r\n