Follow UsLess than a day ago, Will Young did not know if he would be starting the first game of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Rachin Ravindra still had a chance to make it to the starting XI and had the left-hander been deemed fit, there is a good chance Young might have warmed the bench against Pakistan, particularly given Devon Conway had grabbed his opportunity with both hands in both the tri-series and the warm-up fixture against Afghanistan.
Well, Young is going nowhere now. He’s begun the 2025 Champions Trophy with a bang, carving his name in the record books by becoming the first centurion of the 2025 edition.
But that’s not all. The right-hander created New Zealand history, becoming the first Kiwi opener in 21 years - and just the second Kiwi opener overall - to smash a ton in the Champions Trophy.
That’s right, in New Zealand’s history, prior to today, there had only been one opener who had smashed a ton in the Champions Trophy - Nathan Astle (145*) way back in 2004 against USA at The Oval.
Young is just the fourth Kiwi overall to score a ton in the Champions Trophy after Astle (2004), Chris Cairns (2000) and Kane Williamson (2017), jumping right into a very elite list, the crème de la crème of New Zealand players in this format.
It’s a proper statement from the 32-year-old opener, who has not just smashed a hundred in the curtain-raiser to set the tone, but done it against the hosts, who also happen to be the defending champions.
A ton against Pakistan in this competition is a very rare occurrence. Only one player had managed to do that previously in history, and that was Sanath Jayasuriya (102*) in the 2002 Champions Trophy.
And so Young’s golden run in international cricket continues. A Player of the series showing three months ago in a victorious away Test series against India, and now a ton to start off the Champions Trophy.