Henry Nicholls will take over Kane Williamson‘s number three position in the England vs New Zealand 2nd Test at The Oval. The former Kiwi captain retired from all forms of cricket after the Lord’s Test and left the spot vacant. Williamson had made number three his own in Test cricket, scoring 8866 runs at 56.83 in 100 matches.
Nicholls to replace Williamson
After deliberation, New Zealand has decided Nicholls is the right man for the job. The 34-year-old didn’t play the one-off Ireland Test or the Lord’s Test. But the southpaw has 58 Tests under his belt. However, Nicholls has played just 2 Tests at number three. However, in his last Test he scored an unbeaten 150 while coming in at number three, behind a nightwatchman.
It was expected that Will Young would replace Williamson since the 33-year-old is a top-order batter by trade and has even played 3 Tests at number three. However, Nicholls’ recent form has tipped the scales in his favour. The southpaw was the highest run-scorer in the 2025-26 Plunket Shield season, scoring 870 runs at 96.66 for Canterbury in 11 innings split between the numbers three and four.
“He’s someone that has a lot of international experience. He’s been out of the squad for a couple of years now but has certainly forced his way back into the squad through weight of runs at the domestic level. It’s a really exciting opportunity for him to come back into the side in a role at No. 3 that he’s been doing for Canterbury back home,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said on the eve of the England vs New Zealand 2nd Test.
“For most of his career, he’s batted No. 4 or 5. But what he’s done for Canterbury over a long period of time – whenever he plays domestic cricket, he always tends to bat No. 3 or 4 as well. I think the good thing with Henry is he’s always been able to adapt to situations… This is a really exciting opportunity for him to do something new in Test cricket,” he added.
Matt Henry fit to play
Apart from Nicholls replacing Williamson, New Zealand isn’t expected to make any other changes. Matt Henry went down with back spasms during his first spell of the Lord’s Test. However, Henry has recovered since. He’s been training without any discomfort and is expected to be fit for the Oval Test.
New Zealand’s squad for England Test series
Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Will Young, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner. Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears
