Latham ruled out of Zimbabwe Test with shoulder injury

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New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe due to injury.

Latham suffered a shoulder injury while fielding for Birmingham in a T20 match earlier this month and has not recovered in time to make the squad.

The Black Caps skipper will remain with the squad in hopes of returning for the second Test, which starts on August 7.

Latham has scored 5,834 Test runs for New Zealand at an average of 38.38 since his debut in 2014.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter believes Latham’s skill set and leadership will be a big miss for his side.

“It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” said Walter.

“It is 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.”

White-ball captain Mitchell Santner will lead the team in Bulawayo, becoming New Zealand's 32nd men’s Test captain.

Santner assumes the role fresh off a T20I Tri-Series victory in Harare, where New Zealand remained undefeated against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Walter added: “Mitch 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.

"While 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.”