Kaned It: Williamson is new NZ cricket captain

Kane Williamson confirmed as the 34th captain to skipper the BLACKCAPS: — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS)April 28, 2016

The Kane Williamson era has officially began.

The 25-year-old Tauranga-born batsman was named the captain of the New Zealand men's cricket team across all three formats today.

The announcement has been presumptive ever since Brendon McCullum pulled stumps on his time at the Black Caps helm, following the Australian tour to New Zealand late this summer.

Williamson captained his nation at the recent Twenty20 World Cup in India, though New Zealand Cricket has waited until today to make it official.

It caps off a pretty impressive last few months for Williamson, who was named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year and the Cricketer of the Year at the New Zealand Cricket Awards.

At the crease, the classy right-hander score five test centuries last season, set a New Zealand record for test runs scored in a calendar year – and became the ICC's number one-ranked test batsman just before Christmas.

McCullum's shoes will be big ones to fill for Williamson.

Under McCullum, New Zealand had its highest winning percentages in both tests and one-days over the last three years – while the Otago batsman also led the Black Caps to their first ever World Cup final appearance in Melbourne last year in a tournament campaign marked by its noble and adventurous approach to cricket.

"I've certainly learnt a lot from Brendon, as has everyone who has played with him," Williamson, currently in India where he is playing for IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, said, in a NZC release.

"The culture that he and Mike have cultivated has been a huge part of this team's success in recent times. We not only have good players, but good people too and that certainly makes any captain's job easier."

The Black Caps next tour is to Africa in July and August, where they will play Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Expect players like off-spinning all-rounder Mitchell Santner, seamer Trent Boult and opener Tom Latham to be some of Williamson's lieutenants in this new era for the Black Caps, which may show slightly less aggression at the batting crease – but more method.