WILL YOUNG is ready to become New Zealand's 280th Test cricketer for the BLACKCAPS.

Captain Kane Williamson confirmed that the class Central Stags batsman will open the batting in the first Gillette Test against the West Indies at Seddon Park, starting at 10am this Thursday, 3 December 2020.

For 28-year-old Young, it's been a patient 18 and a half month wait to get on the baize-green park since first having been named to make his Test debut, which was to have been against Bangladesh in Christchurch.

That announcement was made just an hour or so before the abominable Christchurch terror attack, the Test match cancelled as our country's attention turned to supporting our Muslim community in a time of deep shock and grief.

A couple of months later, Young was in the nets preparing to play Australia - a New Zealand XI squad largely comprised of cover for the 2019 World Cup team - when he tore the labrum of his shoulder.

With the blessing of medical staff, he carried on to Australia and smoked two centuries and a 60 against a near full strength Australian World Cup side, then patiently worked his way back across the 2019/20 season to scoring centuries, following the surgery.

Last week, the former NZ Under 19 and Stags captain struck a first-class 133 in a Queenstown warm-up match against the West Indies red ball squad, and he will begin his Test career with a first-class average in the mid-40s after 78 matches, many of them as the Central Stags captain until he stepped down three years ago to focus on his international cricket dream.

The door to the Test team was opened by a hamstring injury picked up by BJ Watling in The Ford Trophy on Sunday. Tom Blundell will move down the order to keep wicket for the BLACKCAPS in Hamilton while Young will step in at the top, to open with Tom Latham.

The Central Disticts family congratulates Will on his forthcoming debut and we all thoroughly look forward to seeing him in action with the fern finally on his chest in his maiden Test match.

Article added: Wednesday 02 December 2020