Last Updated on 1 hour ago by Charbel Coorey
“Who’s a good skipper?” said Rachin Ravindra to Tom Latham following New Zealand’s series-sealing victory at Trent Bridge.
And with good reason.
The Black Caps, who came back 1-0 down to beat England 2-1, was another feather in Latham’s cap as captain. Under his leadership, New Zealand have won 13 off 22 Tests despite winning the toss just 36.36% of the time (as of July 1 2026). Overall, they have won five of six series with Latham at the helm.
However, more significant are the performances away from home. Latham has led New Zealand to seven away wins out of 11 matches, second only to Stephen Fleming who won 10 out of 42 matches as captain.
Tom Latham leading the way as New Zealand go from strength to strength under his captaincy
England’s 2-1 defeat was their first at home in any series comprising of three or more Tests since South Africa beat Andrew Strauss’s team 2-0 in 2012. The last time New Zealand themselves won 3+ match series in England was way back in 1999.
“It’s been a whole squad effort throughout the three games, and we’ve managed to stick to a style that we’ve been really proud of,” said Latham after the third Test, as quoted by The Athletic.
“It’s been a little bit more old-school Test cricket than what it has been probably traditionally over the last three years. To be standing here in this position, it’s really pleasing.
“Different guys have stood up throughout this series when the team has needed it. I’m really proud of the guys.”
Even more impressive is the fact that five of New Zealand’s seven away wins under Latham have come in England and India. Latham oversaw one of the most incredible series results in Test history in 2024 when the Black Caps swept India 3-0.
Before that three-match duel, India hadn’t lost a home series in 18 attempts, dropping just four home Tests in total since the 2012/13 series against England.
“The greatest achievement I think with this group was winning 3-0 in India,” said former coach Gary Stead in a 2025 interview with CricBlog.
“I think that’s probably the hardest thing to do when you consider things around the world and things you’re going to try and achieve, and for us to win all the three Tests will be something that’s probably right up there with the best achievements with this team in history.”
New Zealand’s next away challenge will be four Tests in Australia. The Black Caps have often struggled with mental blocks against their Trans-Tasman neighbours, losing their last nine matches home and away and winning just one of 33 matches overall since 1993.
However, New Zealand can mirror the great team of 1985-86 that beat Australia 2-1 down under. They work together as a unit and have an outstanding pace attack that can trouble Australia’s lineup especially if the pitches are as spicy as those in recent years. Also, Australia soon faces a transition period and a few of their batters – including Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green – have question marks surrounding their form.
