Nicholls Backed by Latham to Bat at No. 3 in Second Test for New Zealand

London: Skipper Tom Latham has backed Henry Nicholls to fill the void left by Kane Williamson's shock mid-series retirement from international cricket, confirming that the experienced batter will return to New Zealand's Test side at No. 3 for this week's second Test against England at The Oval.

Nicholls, 34, has played only two Tests since the start of 2024. Both occurred during last year's tour of Zimbabwe when Williamson was unavailable due to commitments with the Hundred. He has mostly batted at No. 5 in his Test career but moved up to No. 3 during that tour. He is set to take on that role again after Williamson's sudden departure from international cricket following the opening Test defeat at Lord's.

Latham stated that Nicholls earned his recall through his impressive domestic performance. "He's someone with a lot of international experience," Latham said ahead of training on Tuesday. "He's been out of the squad for a couple of years, but he has definitely worked his way back in through his runs at the domestic level. It's a really exciting opportunity for him to rejoin the side in a role at No. 3, which he has been filling for Canterbury back home."

Nicholls was the leading run-scorer in the 2025-26 Plunket Shield season, scoring 870 runs at an average of 96.66 over 11 innings while batting at No. 3 and No. 4 for Canterbury. IANS

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