New Zealand captain Latham signs for Warwickshire

Tom Latham won the first of his current tally of 259 New Zealand international appearances in February 2012

Warwickshire have signed New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham for the 2025 season.

The 32-year-old left-handed opener, who is skippering the Kiwis in their current series with England down under, will be available to the Bears for all three formats.

“I’ve played at Edgbaston before and know how much the fans get behind the team there," said Latham.

"It’s one of my favourite venues. It’ll also be nice to bring the family to Birmingham and spend some time exploring the city.

"And I’d love nothing more than to help the Bears lift a trophy."

Latham has made more than 250 international appearances for his country, including his 86th Test appearance in the game against England in Christchurch, in which he made 47 in the New Zealand first innings.

He will join a Bears side who won just once in 14 County Championship games last season to finish seventh, staying up with 25 points to spare - and lost in the T20 Blast quarter-finals for the fifth straight year.

Warwickshire performance director Gavin Larsen, a fellow Kiwi, said: “We’ve been working behind the scenes to bring in someone to strengthen our top order, someone with proven ability and experience. Tom fits the bill ideally.

“The New Zealand team has limited conflict with our domestic cricket calendar next season.

"In this modern cricket world it’s rare to have a player of Tom’s quality and experience to be available for an entire season.

“He’s a class player, one of the finest batters in international cricket, and I’m delighted he’s chosen Warwickshire.

“He’s known more for his red-ball career, but Tom has played more than 100 T20s during his career, averaging 30 and with a strike rate of 131.

"He’s an extremely smart T20 player with a full range of strokes, another great option for our Blast campaign. And he’ll also bring experience and leadership."

Latham, who led New Zealand in their historic 3-0 Test whitewash against India in his first series as skipper, first represented his country in February 2012, aged 19.