New Zealand left out Will Young, Player of the Series in their historic series win in India, for the first Test against England. Here’s why.
It’s not an overstatement to say that New Zealand’s series whitewash of India was one of the most stunning results in Test history. India had gone 12 years without so much as drawing a home series, let alone losing one. In that time, they had lost just four Test matches at home. In the space of a few weeks, that tally almost doubled.
The performance was all the more astonishing because it was achieved without the services of Kane Williamson, now firmly established as New Zealand’s greatest ever batter. Young’s consistency was key in covering for Williamson’s absence. His lowest score in six innings was 18, and he chipped in with two half-centuries in the Black Caps’ victory in the third Test on a turning track.
Still, Williamson’s return, confirmed with a half-century in the Plunket Shield, was always going to present a conundrum for New Zealand. There was no way they would leave out their former captain when back fit, but the decision of who to leave out was a tough one.
New Zealand have dropped their player of the series from their historic win in India for the first Test match against England in Christchurch.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) November 27, 2024
Kane Williamson will return to the side in place of Will Young for the match.
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While Young was Player of the Series in New Zealand, he has the least impressive career record of any of the top five to take the field in India. He averages a tick over 30, and has got used to life as New Zealand’s fill-in while also not quite putting together a compelling case to be anything more. Go through the other candidates to be left out, and you can see why Young was the unlucky player. Tom Latham is the captain, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell average either side of 40, each enjoying career peaks as two of the most in-form all-format batters in the world, and Rachin Ravindra is the golden boy, and has enjoyed an excellent 2024, making a double century against South Africa earlier in the year and making a match-defining century in the first India Test. Then you get to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell and all-rounder Glenn Phillips, whose second strings bolster their selection cases.
And while Young was the most consistent batter in India, New Zealand’s was a proper team triumph. All of the top five made it to fifty at least once despite the challenging conditions, meaning it would be harsh on whoever missed out.
New Zealand are also no strangers to making ruthless selection calls when returning home. Infamously, they left out Ajaz Patel the Test after he had taken 10 wickets in an innings in Mumbai; he has been axed in similar circumstances again, after taking 11 wickets in a Player of the Match performance in the third Test against India.
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