Will Young earned player of the series in India. Photo / Photosport
Will Young earned player of the series in India. Photo / Photosport
The third and final test against England will be many things – sadly for the Seddon Park crowd, a series decider is not among them.
It is a chance, perhaps most importantly, for the Black Caps to prevent a brilliantly bizarre test season from finishing in ignominy.
New Zealandhaven’t lost four straight home tests since 1956 – the year before their first win – while only twice have they been handed a 3-0 series defeat in their own conditions. And no team in history have won a test series 3-0, as they did in India, before losing the next by the same scoreline.
Regardless of the result, the third test will also be an occasion to celebrate for Tim Southee, the retiring seamer set to start with Mitchell Santner possibly replacing Nathan Smith. Despite a meek ending to a 107-test career that has delivered 389 wickets since 2008, Southee already accrued enough goodwill to walk from the field with the crowd on its feet.
And while the veteran has come to the end of his run-up, for the recalled Will Young this match may be a new beginning.
Player of the series across famous wins over India before being omitted for heavy defeats by England, it’s easy to understand why a groundswell of support has developed for a 32-year-old who until recently operated in relative obscurity.
It was also simple to see why he was replaced: only two batters in the world are ranked higher than Kane Williamson, and both Harry Brook and Joe Root play for the opposition.
Now, with Devon Conway on parental leave, Young at last has an opportunity to show the Black Caps what they’ve been missing.
That opportunity will come while opening, both a familiar and uncomfortable position.
Young walked out alongside Tom Latham at Seddon Park when making his debut against the West Indies in 2020, being dismissed for five. Williamson replaced him at the crease and scored 251 to preclude the need for a second innings, curtailing Young’s involvement.
For the next test he shifted to his preferred No 3, then moved back atop the order, then sampled life at No 4 and 5, then again faced the ball at its newest, then returned to No 3 to spearhead a trio of wins in India.
A four-year career to date has featured 21 innings as an opener – earning an average of 22.8 with five fifties – and 13 innings in the middle order – where he has marks of 43.9 and four half-centuries.
The disparity is stark but, as Young emphasised, far from conclusive. With Conway having stumbled since a prodigious first 18 months and the 33-year-old opener no longer owning a central contract, Young will hope an improved showing brings belated consistency.
“I’ve had various opportunities so far in my test career,” he said. “As reserve batter, you’ve got to be capable of filling any role, but most of the opportunities have come opening the batting so I know what it’s like at the top.
Will Young and Kane Williamson have both shone at No 3. Photo / Photosport
“I haven’t played that many tests so it is a small sample size and you know how data can skew. But it’s not great numbers at the top and I’d certainly like to improve those and do my bit for the team.”
Young certainly did that in India, hitting a match-winning 48 not out in the first test before finishing off the sweep with a pair of fifties. The numbers weren’t eye-opening during a series in which ball dominated bat, and each member of the squad contributed to a historic result, but Young became something of a cause celebre as his teammates subsequently struggled.
“I look back on that India tour with great pride for myself, getting that accolade, but also for the team and what we achieved,” he said. “To come back here, it’s disappointing – of course you always want to play. But it’s a very tough line-up to fit into.
“Having one of New Zealand’s absolute greats in Kane coming back was always going to be a headache, so I was prepared to be back on the drinks and that’s what transpired.
“I love to play any test for New Zealand, and if I have to wait longer to get my opportunities, it just makes it all the sweeter.”
Young won’t be alone in waiting for the next. New Zealand’s only scheduled series in the next 12 months is a two-test tour to Zimbabwe, before they host the West Indies for two more to begin the next home summer.
Such scarcity will hardly help Young’s quest to cement himself inside the XI. But with the World Test Championship cycle ending, with Conway’s future uncertain and coach Gary Stead soon off contract, this may be the opening Young has desired.
The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps test this summer. Listen to live commentary here.
Kris Shannon has been a sports journalist since 2011 and covers a variety of codes for the Herald. Reporting on Grant Elliott’s six at Eden Park in 2015 was a career highlight.
