Tom Latham has spoken of making his own mark on Warwickshire history as he follows in the footsteps of great Kiwi Bears who’ve made Edgbaston their home.
The New Zealand Test captain – who led the Blackcaps to a stunning 3-0 win in India in his first series as skipper – is set to arrive in early April having signed a one-year deal to play all formats.
Fellow countrymen who’ll live long in the memory of Bears fans include Jeetan Patel – who took 742 wickets in 12 seasons – and Brendon McCullum who unleashed a beta version of Bazball at Edgbaston in 2015.
“I’m not sure what it is with Kiwis and Warwickshire,” said Latham, speaking from his home in Christchurch where he’s playing T20 cricket for Canterbury Kings.
“Plenty of Kiwis have gone before me at Edgbaston which is nice and I’ve heard some great things about the place from people like Jeets Patel. I was fortunate enough to play with him for New Zealand and later against him when he was with Wellington.
“Zak Foulkes and Michael Rae are in the Kings squad so I’ve also had a chance to speak to them about their time as a Bear last year. It’s all positive.
“I’m genuinely excited about the move. I love playing cricket in England, whether it’s four-day or T20. The support counties get is pretty incredible. I’ve had the opportunity to play at a few counties but to play at Edgbaston – a ground I’ve played at before with New Zealand – will be very special.
“Looking at the squad, there are some young players but also experienced heads.
“Beau Webster is a fantastic signing. Any time you can add a genuine allrounder, who can take wickets and score 100s, to your squad it’s great for the team’s balance. He’s coming off a great end to his summer in Australia and hopefully he’ll carry that forwards with us.
“I’ve never played with Beau so I’m looking forward to linking up with him and my other teammates, getting stuck in and trying to add as much as I can to the group.”
McCullum made domestic T20 history by smashing 158 off 64 balls for the Bears in 2015 and it remains the second highest score in the competition’s history.
Left-handed bat Latham, who keeps wicket for the Blackcaps, said his style might be “slightly different, slightly slower” but he’s keen to stake a claim with the white ball.
“I love playing T20 cricket,” added the 32-year-old, who hit 56 off 42 balls for Canterbury vs Auckland in the T20 Super Smash earlier this month.
“And an opportunity to play in the Blast again, which I’ve done a couple of times for Durham, was another attraction behind the decision to sign for the Bears.
“The way cricket is played in England is exciting, pushing the boundaries, and I’m certainly looking forward to playing back in the North Group, and hopefully bring some silverware back to Edgbaston.”
Latham is a hugely experienced First Class cricketer having made 167 red ball appearances (41.92 average) in which he amassed 26 centuries.
But he’s also played more than 100 T20s during his career – averaging 30 and with a Strike Rate of 131 – and will bring 360-degree hitting to the Bears batting line-up.
Latham heads to the ICC Champions Trophy with New Zealand at the start of February, before a tri-series in Pakistan (against Pakistan and South Africa), and a home series against Pakistan which finishes on 4 April.
It means he could be in line to make his Warwickshire debut at Durham (11-14 April) and his Edgbaston home debut the following week against Nottinghamshire.
“It’s been in the pipeline for a while now,” added the father-of-two. “Once we finish our summer here, we’ll be straight over. I want to get back to England and bring the family over, I’ve got two young boys, as soon as possible and get stuck in.
“Hopefully it’ll warm up a bit for the first few games, I’ll bring some hand warmers, just in case, that’s for sure!”
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