WELLINGTON: Kane Williamson will make his long-awaited comeback to the New Zealand squad for the One-day International series against England after recovering from an unspecified medical issue, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Monday.

The 35-year-old has not played for New Zealand in any format since they lost the Champions Trophy final to India in March and NZC said he had been recovering from a “minor medical issue” in the past month which kept him out of the ongoing T20 series.

All-rounder Nathan Smith is also back in the squad after recovering from an abdominal injury the 27-year-old sustained during the second test against Zimbabwe in August.

“Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to overcome their respective injuries and illness,” coach Rob Walter said in a statement.

However, Mohammad Abbas (ribs), Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Ben Sears (hamstring) remain unavailable due to injury.

Following the T20 series, New Zealand will play England in three ODIs starting on Oct 26 in Tauranga, followed by the second ODI in Hamilton three days later before they wrap up the series in Wellington on Nov 1.

“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 added.

Squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025