NZ vs ENG 2025: Kane Williamson, Nathan Smith return for ODI series

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is set to return to action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, beginning October 26 at Bay Oval, his home ground. The 35-year-old missed the ongoing T20I series as he continues to recover from a minor, unspecified medical issue sustained last month.

Williamson, who currently holds a casual contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), had earlier opted out of the three-match T20I series against Australia and the Zimbabwe tour to fulfill his commitments with Middlesex in county cricket and The Hundred. More recently, he was appointed as the strategic advisor for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

All-rounder Nathan Smith also returns to the New Zealand squad after completing rehabilitation for an abdominal injury suffered during the first Test against Zimbabwe in August in Bulawayo. The 27-year-old has not featured in competitive cricket since then.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter expressed his delight at having both Williamson and Smith back in the setup. For Williamson, this marks his first appearance for the Black Caps since the Champions Trophy final in Dubai earlier this year. Smith was also part of that final, having stepped in as a last-minute replacement for the injured Matt Henry.

"Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to overcome their respective injuries and illness. We all know what Kane means to the Blackcaps - to have his skill, experience and leadership back in the group is fantastic,” said Walter in a statement as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“Nathan's still relatively new to his international career, but he's impressed with his all-round skills and ability in the field,” he added.

Having completed his rehabilitation, Smith has declared himself fit and ready for the upcoming New Zealand summer.

"Yeah, it's always exciting when you get the opportunity to play for New Zealand in any series. The last period from that [Bulawayo] Test to now has looked like a bit of rest initially. And then after a couple of weeks, you can sort of start to get moving again and strengthen the ab back-ups. Since the start of September, I've been ripping into some rehab and building the bowling loads back up. It's just been a really good period to get some strength in and build some training back up for a busy season," said Smith.

Mitchell Santner will return to captain New Zealand in the three-match ODI series. Santner, who led the Black Caps to the Champions Trophy final earlier this year, has recovered from an abdominal injury and is currently featuring in the ongoing T20I series against England.

However, New Zealand will be without several key players due to injuries. Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Ben Sears (hamstring) have all been ruled out.

Tom Latham will return to wicketkeeping duties, marking his first appearance for the Black Caps since the Champions Trophy final. The left-hander had missed the two-match Test series in Zimbabwe with a shoulder injury and has not played competitive cricket since scoring a century for the Birmingham Bears in the T20 Blast in July.

Zak Foulkes has also earned a recall to the squad. The allrounder has played only two internationals so far but impressed recently with back-to-back fifties for New Zealand A in Benoni during the unofficial ODI series in September. Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra round out the allrounder options.

Among the bowlers, Matt Henry, who leads all ODI seamers in 2025 with 24 wickets in nine innings at an average of 15.50, will spearhead the pace attack. The series will also mark Rob Walter’s first assignment as head coach of the New Zealand ODI side.

"The ODI side has been very successful for a long period of time, as the current ICC ranking of number two suggests. We have an experienced core of players and as a team, are very clear on how we want to play. This is very much the start of our journey to the ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2027 and I know the group are excited to get going in this series against a quality England side,” Walter said.

The New Zealand ODI squad will assemble in Tauranga on Friday ahead of the opening match on Sunday. The second ODI will be held in Hamilton on October 29, while the tour concludes with the third and final ODI in Wellington on November 1.

The ODI series will coincide with the start of the men’s Ford Trophy, New Zealand’s premier domestic one-day competition, which begins on October 25 across multiple venues. The Ford Trophy will once again launch New Zealand’s domestic summer, followed by the women’s Hallyburton Johnstone Shield (HBJ), which is scheduled to begin on November 15.

New Zealand ODI squad

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young