Black Caps veteran Ross Taylor believes the hot form of batsman Will Young will put "another spanner in the works" for selectors ahead of the upcoming tour of England.
Young has continued to make a strong case for selection in the upcoming two-test series with England and the World TestChampionship final against India, scoring back-to-back tons for English county side Durham.
Opening the batting over the weekend, the 28-year-old scored 103 to help Durham secure a win over Worcestershire.
It was his second straight 100 for Durham – having scored 124 in their last game two weeks ago – with both coming in bowler-friendly conditions.
His ability to cope with the swinging Dukes ball, which will be used during the Black Caps' tour, will be particularly notable to New Zealand selectors.
Taylor, who is flying out for the UK with teammates Tim Southee, BJ Watling and Neil Wagner this afternoon, said he has been impressed by Young's performances leading up to the test series.
"It's nice to see these guys get an opportunity to play county cricket," Taylor told the media at Auckland Airport.
"I guess before the IPL, county cricket was sort of where you cut your teeth and learned your craft. The way Will has gone over there and got two first class 100s, I sent him a message last night and said well one. I'm sure he'll be looking forward to joining the team in a few days."
Will Young of Durham celebrates after scoring a century. Photo / Getty
Taylor said it adds intrigue to the selection race to become Tom Latham's opening partner for the upcoming tour.
"I guess it just adds another different dimension to the team. I'm sure Steady (head coach Gary Stead) and Kane [Williamson] will have an idea of what their team is, but this puts another spanner in the works. I'm sure Will's there or thereabouts. It's a nice place to be."
Young will likely be in a battle with incumbent opener Tom Blundell and breakout star Devon Conway for the opening batting slot.
Meanwhile, Taylor is confident he will be fit in time for the first test against England at Lord's on June 2, having suffered a calf injury in the nets earlier this month.
"It's coming along slowly," he said. "I suppose we're in quarantine for three days; a few times to do some calf raises over a little while. It was nice to hit some balls last week."
The 37-year-old is also looking forward to playing in an internal match next week – Team Latham versus Team Williamson – which will be another opportunity for the likes of Young to impress selectors.
"I'll go in the Williamson team. They'll win," Taylor joked.
"Obviously with 20 players there and then the IPL guys, a lot's happened in the last couple of weeks. This was just going to be the guys who went over, where you add the IPL players to the mix I think.
"So that'll add a little bit more spice. It'll be nice to get a proper game but playing amongst ourselves is probably not a bad thing as well."
