When Warwickshire signed New Zealand Test Captain Tom Latham, they acquired a titan of international cricket’s top order.
Latham first opened the batting for his country in 2014 – hitting his debut Test century later that year against Pakistan – and has cemented the spot ever since.
The 32-year-old – who’s scored more Test centuries as an opener than anyone else for New Zealand – has gone on to play 86 Tests with an average of 38.58.
In total, he has more than 250 international caps to his name and was a World Cup runner-up with New Zealand in 2015 and 2019.
Latham – who has signed a one-year deal to play all formats for the Bears in 2025 – was given the honour of becoming his country’s permanent Test captain earlier this year.
His first assignment couldn’t have been more testing: an away series in India.
But under his guidance New Zealand pulled off an historic 3-0 Test whitewash.
He has been the first choice wicketkeeper for New Zealand since 2017 when he took the gloves following the retirement of Luke Ronchi.
First Class cricket
Latham is a vastly experienced First Class cricketer having made more than 160 red ball appearances (42.22 average) in which he’s amassed 26 centuries.
Back home in New Zealand, Latham is a one-Club man. He made his debut for Canterbury in the 2010-11 season and has gone on to play 50 First Class games for the South Island side.
And he’s no stranger to the demands of red ball cricket in England.
Latham was signed by Kent as an overseas player in 2016. He became the first player in the Club’s history to score half-centuries in both innings on debut and would finish with an average of 46.75 in his six matches.
Durham secured his services in 2017 and 2018. He returned a red ball average of more than 50 (53.42) from eight County Championship outings across both seasons.
After a four season hiatus from English cricket, Latham returned to play for Surrey in 2023 for who he averaged 39.75 in five matches.
The New Zealand team has limited conflict with the English domestic cricket calendar in 2025 so Warwickshire fans can expect to see Latham lead the Bears line for much of the season.
White ball career
Latham is best known for his red ball career, but he’s played more than 100 T20s, averaging 30 and with a Strike Rate of 131.
Former Bears Performance Director Gavin Larsen, said: “He’s an extremely smart T20 player with a full range of strokes; another great option for Bears T20 Blast campaign.”
Latham has made 26 appearances in the Vitality Blast and enjoyed a standout T20 season in 2018 for Durham when he was one of the competition’s leading run scorers with 470 from 14 games.
He averaged 36.15 that season, with a Strike Rate of 136.62, and included a memorable 98 not out from just 55 balls against Notts Outlaws.
Record breaker
Latham made history in December 2018 when he recorded the highest score of any opener to carry his bat through an innings.
He batted for 11-and-a-half hours for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Wellington as he compiled a mammoth 264 from 489 balls (21 fours and a six).
His effort surpassed Alastair Cook’s 244 not out in 2017 against Australia.
Latham was only the second New Zealand opener to carry their bat in a Test. Glenn Turner had previously done it twice.
Bears Together: 2025 Membership
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