New Zealand’s Class of 2025 Ready

Will Young knows first-hand how the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy can inspire a generation.

The New Zealand batter was just eight years old when the Blackcaps saw off Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India to win their first major ICC tournament in this very event 25 years ago, and the magic of that glorious run instilled a drive in him to make it to the top.

A quarter of a century later and Young is on the precipice of following in the footsteps of his first cricketing heroes, as he and his teammates prepare to face India again in the final in Dubai.

The links with that team from 25 years ago have been reinforced but Young believes his side must play their own way if they are to be successful.

“There were some iconic names in that squad and those are the ones plenty of guys in this squad looked up to back in the day,” the 32-year-old opener said.

“It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years later.

“I was eight years old at the time and just starting to fall in love with the game.

“I am well aware of New Zealand’s exploits in that tournament and it was fantastic to see them win.

“I’m thinking back to before we boarded the plane to come over here, we had an unveiling of the Champions Trophy squad. Scott Styris was there that day and told a few stories about the team and their exploits in that tournament.

“It was cool to recognise the past and that New Zealand has done this before. It is just about passing the baton and hopefully we can emulate them in a couple of days.”

Young set the tone for New Zealand’s campaign with a ton in his side’s first game of the tournament as they beat hosts Pakistan.

His fellow opener Rachin Ravindra has notched two centuries of his own in New Zealand’s group-stage win over Bangladesh and their semi-final triumph over South Africa.

The only blot on their copybook is their group-stage defeat to Sunday’s opponents India, however Young is choosing not to focus on that result.

He added: “It was a great opportunity to see the style of cricket they will bring, especially at that venue and in those conditions.

“There is plenty we can take from that in a scouting point of view, especially in my eyes as a batter, but I am sure the bowlers got a good look at their batters as well and how they are likely to approach things.

“There’s been some great battles over India in recent history including the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup semi-final. We’ve had some great games against India.

“But to be honest, it is who will show up on the day, you can’t be too stuck in the past.

“We’ll look to be able to adjust and adapt to whatever challenges are in front of us on Sunday and hope the game we’ve got and the nerve that we hold will be enough.”