Black Caps fast bowler Will O’Rourke out to lord it over England in test series
Sunday, 10 May 2026
He was born in London, his dad has played at Lord’s - but Will O’Rourke was never going to play for any other nation than New Zealand.
The fast bowler is part of the Black Caps squad to depart shortly for a one-off test against Ireland, followed by a much-anticipated three-test series versus hosts England.
The opening test of the series will be at Lord’s, in London, where O’Rourke spent the early years of his life.
“We returned home with the kids when Will was five - he was, he is a Kiwi,” father Patrick O'Rourke said.
“He's always wanted to play cricket for New Zealand, it was what he's dreamed about and he's fulfilling those dreams at the moment.”
Patrick, a former Wellington pace bowler, worked for Deutsche Bank in London, who sponsored the MCC.
“I’ve been fortunate to play some corporate stuff on the main square at Lord’s, and been privileged enough to go there numerous times.
“It's a special place for any cricketer. There's something special about walking through the gates, whether it's the middle of winter and empty or the first day of a test match there - it really is a special place and home of cricket really.’
Will O’Rourke said he doesn’t remember much of life as a toddler in London, but has always had an eye on playing at Lord’s for New Zealand.
“England, for every one of the boys, is a very special tour, and it's obviously a cool place to go over and play at some historic grounds - definitely one on the bucket list, especially places like Lord's.”
The 24-year-old suffered a back stress fracture during the first test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in July last year.
“That morning, I had a little bit of pain, but it seemed to all be right-sided pain, which tends to be a pretty positive sign as a right-arm bowler.
“Originally we thought it was a disc pain, and then I got scans, and once we found that there was stuff on the left side, we just had to shut it down.”
O'Rourke’s long rehabilitation worked well however, allowing him to make his return to international cricket in the recent ODI series in Bangladesh.
He took five wickets in his three appearances, and looked particularly sharp in the final match of the series.
“I felt good,” O’Rourke said on Thursday.
“I think I got what I wanted out of the series, and felt like I steadily got better throughout the games and got a little bit of rust out. I think even in that second game I felt like I had my legs back, felt like I was getting the ball through all right.”
He’s now excited about resuming a test career which has seen him grab 39 wickets in just 11 outings, at an average of 24.28 after making his format debut in February 2024.
“Obviously I had this series circled for a while, since I got injured, so it's nice that the rehab went smoothly and I’m good to go for this one.
“I'm very positive - I spent a long time rehabbing, back in the gym, and tried to tick all the boxes and do all the right things, and I'm feeling very fit and strong at the moment.
“I'm excited to be back, and hopefully stay back as well.”
The tall right-armer is in the squad for both the Ireland encounter and the three tests which follow against England and form part of the World Test Championship.
He’s not yet sure however how many of the tests he may play.
“I think loading-wise, I’ve put myself in a good position to be available for as many as I can - and obviously I want to play as many as I can. So we'll wait and see what the medical team say, and you've got to be good enough to make the team in the first place.”
Also returning from a back stress fracture is towering seamer Kyle Jamieson.
His last test outing ended in pain against South Africa at Mt Maunganui in February 2024 - ironically opening the way into the side for O’Rourke, who took a national record of nine wickets on debut in Hamilton.
“It’s bloody exciting to see the big fellow back with the red ball,” O’Rourke said of his Black Caps team-mate.
Jamieson had an immediate impact at test level, taking just nine games to capture 50 wickets, and was part of the Black Caps side which won the inaugural World Test Championship title.
He suffered his first back stress fracture during the test series in England in 2022.
“Obviously he's got an unbelievable record, and was one of the best bowlers in the world before he unfortunately got hit with a couple of injuries,” O'Rourke said.
“But it's been really good to see him over the last year or so back with the wide ball in hand, and playing really well.”
Patrick and wife Jessica will be at Lord’s with Will’s brother Ollie, who lives in England, to hopefully watch Will play in the first test.
“There’s maybe an uncle and a cousin going over from New Zealand too, and then I’ve got a couple of second cousins that live over there - that should be a good group,” Will said.