‘Strong bonds, healthy competition driving NZ cricket’

Will Young was among the more experienced players in an otherwise inexperienced New Zealand ODI squad that suffered a 2-1 defeat in the recently concluded three-match series against hosts Bangladesh. Arriving in Bangladesh after a successful tour of India, Young and his side encountered tougher batting conditions and a hostile pace attack. The New Zealand number three spoke about the conditions, Bangladesh’s bowling threats, and more in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi. The excerpts are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): How good was Nahid Rana in the ODI series?

Will Young (WY): He’s got the tools to be a great bowler -- consistently around 150kph, even in this heat. He moves the ball in the air as well and gets good bounce. So, he's got plenty of attributes there that suggest that he's going to be a really good bowler for many years.

DS: You arrived on the back of a strong series in India. How different is it here in Bangladesh?

WY: I think a lot of people from the Western world see the subcontinent as one, but it's not. India is a different challenge to Bangladesh. In that ODI series, the average score was around 300, whereas here it's much lower – we defended 240-odd in the first game. Batting conditions are tougher, and it's also slightly hotter for us to get used to.

DS: Even hotter than India?

WY: Yeah, I’m not sure if it’s the time of year or the humidity, but it definitely feels like you sweat more and get more tired here than we did in India [in January]. Bangladesh have a very strong side with both seam and spin threats.

DS: Are Bangladesh more threatening in these conditions or in pace-friendly wickets?

WY: It’s tough to say because we haven’t faced this attack in New Zealand. But they’re clearly building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup. South African conditions might be closer to New Zealand’s, and their balance looks good. With some pace in the wickets, they could be a real threat -- and they certainly are in this [white-ball] series.

DS: You were one of the best sweepers in India. Did you feel more challenges in playing sweeps or spinners here than you did in India?

WY: It depends on the type of spinners. In India, we faced [Ravindra] Jadeja and Kuldeep [Yadav], whereas here it’s different – off-spinner Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] and leg-spinner Rishad [Hossain]. Different conditions call for different sweeps. As our batting group had discussed, we play sweeps to not only score runs but also to force a change in the field or make the bowler adjust.

DS: Approach-wise, how do you tackle the variable bounce here?

WY: It makes things tricky. You might play more straight-bat shots if the bounce is inconsistent, but if it’s spinning, you look to sweep. You can’t generalise too much -- you just have to commit to your approach.

DS: You’ve had success against Bangladesh before. How disappointing was this series personally?

WY: Very disappointing not to contribute as much as I’d have liked, and also to lose the series. When I score, I want it to be in a winning cause, and that wasn’t the case. But there were lessons -- for the less experienced players and for me. Credit to Bangladesh, they played really well.

DS: What were the challenges in Chattogram?

WY: Fielding first was tough -- we hadn’t done that much this tour, and it was incredibly hot. The wicket was low, and it turned a bit later. Mehidy and Tanvir Islam got some turn early in our innings, which we didn’t see when we bowled. Bangladesh’s bowlers bowled really well in these conditions.

DS: You played when Bangladesh recorded their most famous Test win at Mount Maunganui. What was that like?

WY: I got fifties in both innings [laughs]. Ebadot [Hossain] took six in the second innings. The conditions weren’t what we expected -- it was very hot. We had four seamers and Rachin [Ravindra] was our only spinner. It was disappointing, but it serves as a reminder to better assess conditions and pick a balanced side that can adapt to different conditions.

DS: Winning the World Test Championship -- how significant was it?

WY: It meant a lot. It was early in my career, but I was in the squad in Southampton. I suppose the likes of Tim [Southee], Trent [Boult] and Wags [Neil Wagner] in that bowling attack, along with batters like Kane [Williamson] and Rosco [Ross Taylor]… they've played so much cricket together, and it culminated in winning that World Test Championship. it was thoroughly deserved.

DS: How difficult is it to move in and out of the side across formats?

WY: It can be tricky, but I try to keep the same mindset -- play to my strengths, read the game, and do whatever I can to get a victory. I've traveled to Bangladesh a few times now, so I knew what to expect. And I know what can work over here. There’s always cricket, whether domestic or county. Different challenges keep it exciting.

DS: Ricky Ponting spoke about New Zealand’s close-knit cricket community. Your thoughts?

WY: I hadn’t heard that, but we have six domestic teams, only 16 contracted cricketers per team in the domestic circuit, and 20 contracted national players. So, there are about 120 professional cricketers in New Zealand. There’s a lot of information sharing, healthy competition, and strong relationships. Players also bring experience back from franchise cricket, which helps the whole system grow.

DS: Looking ahead to the 2027 World Cup, how is the team shaping up?

WY: Tours like this, with many players from the main side away, create competition. More players pushing for fewer spots is a good headache for selectors, the captain, and the head coach. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s an exciting time with the World Cup coming up.