'Opportunity in starting XI would be great, but we’ll just have to wait' - Young on regular run in England

New Zealand batter Will Young is keen to learn from the county experience that’ll apply in the upcoming Test series against England starting next month (June 2022) at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.

Durham signed Young in success with the bat, after which Northamptonshire offered him a contract for this year. As a result, he will be available for most of the County Championship and Royal London Cup, subject to fixturing and the international calendar.

Last year when New Zealand toured England, the Kiwi batter featured in one of the two Tests and scored a composed 82 in the second Test at Edgbaston, and he believes that the stint with Durham was the perfect lead-up to that series.

“Durham was a cool experience and the perfect lead-up to our Test series last year. I wanted to emulate the same thing if I could, so I put my name forward and thankfully, Northants offered me a deal. This time I’ve signed for slightly longer - quite a bit of the Championship and also some of the Royal London Cup, so I’m stoked to have a proper go at county cricket,” Young told ESPNcricinfo.

“Covid is no longer a thing over here, so I can experience the summer and everything there is on offer over here. Last year I was limited as to what I could do with Covid restrictions and tests every second day, but this time it’s pretty much a free-for-all.” 

With Kane Williamson returning to the squad, Young is unsure of his place in the team, but he’s happy to be a part of the squad.

“I’m just thankful to be part of the squad at this stage. To get an opportunity in the starting XI would be great, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” the opening batter further added. 

Further in the conversation, Young expressed despair in not having veterans like Ross Taylor and BJ Watling in the team.

“It’s a huge loss, Ross and BJ. They’re both huge parts of the success over the last while and were well-liked, popular guys in the group. There’s definitely a hole with them gone, but in the same breath, there’s been enough opportunities for guys to be around the group and familiarise themselves with the team so it’s not a huge shock to the system when it comes to actually playing Tests,” Young explained. 

The 29-year-old hasn’t got a regular run in the Blackcaps setup since his international debut back in December 2022; however, the upcoming English summer can be the start of something special for Young.