Williamson’s return creates ‘selection headaches’ for NZ after Young’s stellar India tour

As the New Zealand Test squad reconvened at the Hagley Oval, three weeks on from a remarkable 3-0 win in India, they welcomed a familiar face back in their ranks.

Kane Williamson, now shorn of the groin injury that kept him out of that historic tour, was donning BlackCaps training gear once more on Monday, as the hosts trained in the afternoon in a sun-kissed Christchurch. A three-hour-long 60 for Northern Districts against Auckland marked a tidy return to action after two months out. By all accounts, he is good to go for the first Test, which begins here on Thursday.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed the 34-year-old will slot back in. However he admitted the necessary reshuffle will require some consideration.

Will Young’s stellar turn as Williamson’s understudy in India – Player of the Series with 244 runs – has presented a conundrum. One which, on the face of it, has an easy if cold-hearted solution. Nevertheless, Stead wants time to talk things through with skipper Tom Latham.

“Obvious Kane will come back into the side,” Stead said. “He’s a superb player as we know and that creates some selection headaches for Tom and I to get our heads around in the next day or so.

“Kane is one of the best in the world, so he will be playing somewhere in that line-up. It’s just how we manage to shape the rest of the team around that.”

Stead ceded the rest of the team is a formality given the pitch is expected to play to type. “Going on traditional Hagley wickets, I imagine there’ll be four seamers out there.” The identity of the fourth remains up in the air, with Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy battling it out to join Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke and the retiring Tim Southee.

Indeed Southee’s farewell tour adds a little extra on this three-match series. The 1-1 draw at the start of 2023 between these two culminated in a one-run thriller in Wellington that fell the way of the hosts. Now with an extra match – and for World Test Championship points this time – there is scope for this to be a thriller.

New Zealand are identifiable favourites to take this series – with the onus on winning 3-0 to make their second WTC final in three cycles. And following their success in India, a second title could well be on the cards.

“No doubt it gives you confidence as a group but it shows the ebbs and flows of international cricket,” Stead said. “You can see what’s happening in Perth [in the first Test between Australia and India], I’m not sure anyone would have written that script either. The WTC has made teams extremely competitive, teams try and get somewhat of a home advantage to pick up your points there.

“[I am] Sure it’s going to be a cracker of a Test series. We’re going to see some fireworks I would suggest.”