Will Young has been handed his Test debut against West Indies in Hamilton after BJ Watling was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Tom Blundell will take the wicketkeeping gloves and move down the order with Young partnering Tom Latham at the top.
Young, 28, has been close to a Test debut before and was set to play against Bangladesh in 2019 before the final Test in Christchurch was cancelled following the terror attack in the city.
He averages 43.76 in his first-class career with ten centuries, the most recent of which came against West Indies for New Zealand A last week
“He’s been around the environment for some time without getting his first opportunity so I think that’s also a real positive,” captain Kane Williamson said. “Often you come into teams and it’s new, you are trying to get a feel for the group but he’s got that feel, he’s an experienced player, has played a lot of first-class cricket and to a very high standard and he deserves that opportunity.”
Watling picked up the injury during his last outing in the Ford Trophy and following assessment in Hamilton it was decided there was too much risking including him for a Test.
A decision over the rest of the final XI is yet to be made with one of the key debates whether New Zealand go in with a frontline spin option in Mitchell Santner, who was called up in place of the injured Ajaz Patel, or opt for an all-pace attack.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo