Henry Nicholls

First, he had to fill the big shoes of Brendon McCullum at No. 5 and then the even bigger ones of Kane Williamson at No. 3. But given his reliability and willingness to grind, Nicholls has performed creditably in both positions in Test cricket while also taking up the challenge of opening the batting in a World Cup.

He earned his international call-up on the back of strong domestic one-day form, making his ODI debut in December 2015 before breaking into the Test side against Australia two months later. He scored a half-century on debut in McCullum's farewell Test, but struggled to replace the charismatic batter right away.

The selectors continued to back Nicholls even as questions were raised about his modest returns - he averaged under 27 after nine Tests - but he answered those with a maiden Test hundred against South Africa in Wellington in 2017, standing up to a formidable pace attack. He grew into the role over the next two years, taking apart bowling line-ups with his cuts, pulls, sweeps and a range of drives, all the while maintaining discipline outside the off stump.

His unbeaten 145 against England in Auckland in 2018 helped secure an innings victory, while later that year he played a crucial role in New Zealand's historic series win in the UAE, averaging 64 against spin and sharing a match-defining century stand with BJ Watling in the four-run victory in Abu Dhabi.

Nicholls continued to make big hundreds in big wins - 174 against West Indies in 2020 in Wellington, 157, in a 369-run partnership with Kane Williamson, against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2021, and a double-hundred against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 2023 - all innings wins. But he struggled thereafter and was dropped from the side for all of 2024. In 2025, he got the chance to tour Zimbabwe, and he didn't waste the opportunity, making 150 in Bulawayo.

Then followed a remarkable domestic season in which Nicholls led Canterbury to the Plunket Shield title and topped the competition's run charts with 870 at 96.66. The form earned him another call-up to the Test side, this time stepping in to replace Kane Williamson, who retired during the 2026 tour of England. New Zealand were under pressure, 0-1 down, but Nicholls' second-innings 121 from No. 3 at The Oval allowed them to level the series, which they went on to win in the third Test at Trent Bridge.

Although his one-day career hasn't been prolific or consistent, Nicholls showed characteristic willingness to further the team's cause when, in 2019, he opened the batting for the first time in the format just before the World Cup. And then, in the final of that tournament, in tough batting conditions, he scored 55.