Walter backs veteran after impressive comeback

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter reserved special praise for Henry Nicholls after the experienced batter marked his return to the Test side with a match-winning century, playing his role in the side's 2-1 series victory over England

"Well, I mean, the reality was Henry [Nicholls] was our back-up batter in the Test squad," Walter said after returning to Auckland following New Zealand's tours of England and West Indies.

"At the time of his selection in the squad as a back-up batter. Whilst there may have been somebody to ask questions, I don't think anyone could ask the questions based on the performances that Henry had put in when he'd gone back to domestic cricket.”

“Ultimately, it's a lesson for anyone that there's always going to be these disappointments of being left out of the team. But all you can do is just go back, work hard, put some runs on the board, put performances on the board, win games for your team. Then hopefully, things play their part and you end up getting another chance.”

Henry Nicholls earned a recall to New Zealand's Test squad following Kane Williamson's surprise retirement after the first Test at Lord's, and made an immediate impact on his return to the side.

Playing his first Test in nearly a year, Nicholls produced a superb innings of 121 in the second innings to help New Zealand secure a commanding 253-run victory over England in the second Test.

“And again, I think Henry wouldn't have wanted to get his opportunity through Kane's retirement because that was in itself a loss for the team.” said Walter.

“However, he's still a highly experienced guy with lots of performance under the belt, and could come in on the back of strong performances domestically, earning his spot back [in the side] and taking that No.3 spot. So certainly I won't be giving that No.3 to anyone else because he's deserved it." 

After being dropped from New Zealand's Test side, Nicholls returned to domestic cricket and put in the hard work to force his way back into the team.

The left-hander enjoyed a prolific 2025-26 Plunket Shield campaign, scoring 870 runs in 11 innings at a whopping average of 96.66 to help Canterbury lift the title.

He also finished as the leading run-scorer in the domestic one-day competition, amassing 588 runs in just 10 innings at an average of 73.5. This included a ton in the final, which was eventually won by Central Districts.

“The focus for me when I got left out was to go back and keep enjoying my cricket. I sort of had the perspective, 'if you come back that would be great'.” said Nicholls.

"Even if I wasn't, I would have still been content with it. [I'm] very pleased to be back and [it was] a fun series, albeit it feels like a little bit ago. The reception that we had [in Auckland], I know how important it was for everyone back here."