Rob Walter backs Henry Nicholls to take Kane Williamson's spot
What's the story
New Zealand's head coach Rob Walter has backed Henry Nicholls to take up the No. 3 position in Test matches, following Kane Williamson's retirement. Walter was impressed by Nicholls's seamless return to the team and his stellar performance at The Oval in June, where he scored a century after a year-long absence from Test cricket. Here's more.
Career perspective
Walter highlights importance of hard work in Nicholls's case
"Well, I mean, the reality was Henry was our back-up batter in the Test squad," Walter said after arriving in Auckland, as per Cricinfo.
"At the time of his selection in the squad as a back-up batter... whilst there may have been somebody to ask questions, I don't think anyone could ask the questions based on the performances that Henry had put in when he'd gone back to domestic cricket."
"Ultimately, it's a lesson for anyone that there's always going to be these disappointments of being left out of the team. But all you can do is just go back, work hard, put some runs on the board, put performances on the board, win games for your team," he added.
Performance review
Nicholls scored a match-winning ton at The Oval against England
Nicholls scored a composed 121 at The Oval in June, helping New Zealand level the series after losing the first Test at Lord's against England.
This was his 11th Test century, putting him among the top seven New Zealanders with most tons.
Overall in Tests, Nicholls has amassed 3,358 runs at 39.50 from 60 matches (94 innings).
Besides 11 hundreds, he has smashed 12 fifties.
Comeback story
Nicholls worked hard to get back into the Test side
After being dropped from the Test side, Nicholls returned to domestic cricket and put in some strong performances.
He was Canterbury's top run-getter in the 2025-26 Plunket Shield with 870 runs at an average of 96.66.
He also topped the charts in last season's one-day Ford Trophy, proving his mettle on the field and earning his spot back on merit.
Backing
'Nicholls deserves the No. 3 spot'
"Then hopefully, things play their part and you end up getting another chance. And again, I think Henry wouldn't have wanted to get his opportunity through Kane's retirement because that was in itself a loss for the team," said Walter.
"However, he's still a highly experienced guy with lots of performance under the belt, and could come in on the back of strong performances domestically, earning his spot back and taking that No. 3 spot. So certainly I won't be giving that No. 3 to anyone else because he's deserved it."
Information
How has Nicholls fared at No. 3 for NZ?
Nicholls has played 4 matches at number three. From 8 innings, he has amassed 260 runs at 37.14. He has a solitary hundred under his belt. Most of his runs have come at number 5 for New Zealand. He owns 2,227 runs at 39.76 from 42 matches (60 innings).