London: Will Young has been called up by New Zealand to replace retired batsman Kane Williamson for the remaining two Tests against England.
Young last played in a Test against the West Indies in Christchurch in December. Overall, he played 23 Tests and scored 1,215 runs at an average of 31.97.
Most recently, he was part of New Zealand’s ODI series in Bangladesh, where he scored 30, 2 and 19 in all three innings.
He will arrive in England on Sunday, June 14 and will begin training with the team the following day. The second Test starts on June 17 at The Oval.
New Zealand also considered Henry Nicholls as a replacement for Williamson.
Nicholls finished as the top run-scorer in the 2025–26 Plunkett Shield, amassing 870 runs at an average of 96.66 in seven matches.
In contrast, Young scored 119 runs at an average of 14.87 in five matches in the same tournament. New Zealand trailed 1-0 in the series after losing by 115 runs at Lord’s.
Meanwhile, Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday, ending a 16-year career.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation, he finished his international career with 19,346 runs in 378 matches across all formats, including 48 centuries and 6 double centuries, making him New Zealand’s leading run-scorer.
He made his debut for the New Zealand national cricket team in 2010 and was already out of T20 internationals in November before confirming his full retirement.
As captain from 2016 to 2024, Williamson led New Zealand through one of their most successful eras, winning two ICC World Cup finals, three semi-finals and a historic ICC World Test Championship title in 2021.
His departure marks the end of a remarkable chapter in New Zealand cricket, defined by stability, calm leadership and sustained success across formats.