William Salter Austen Williams (born 6 October 1992) is a New Zealand and English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er. He made his

List A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

debut for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

on 18 January 2017 in the

2016–17 Ford Trophy The 2016–17 Ford Trophy was the 46th season of the official List A cricket tournament in New Zealand, and the sixth in a sponsorship deal between New Zealand Cricket and Ford Motor Company. The competition ran from 15 January to 18 February ...

. He made his

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

debut for Canterbury in the

2017–18 Super Smash The 2017–18 Burger King Super Smash (named after the competition's sponsor Burger King) was the thirteenth season of the Men's Super Smash Twenty20 cricket tournament in New Zealand. The competition was run from 13 December 2017 to 20 January ...

on 14 December 2017. He was the leading wicket-taker in the

2017–18 Plunket Shield season The 2017–18 Plunket Shield was the 89th season of the Plunket Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition in New Zealand. The competition started on 23 October 2017 and finished on 5 April 2018. Canterbury were the defending champions ...

for Canterbury, with 19 dismissals in eight matches. In June 2018, he was awarded a contract with Canterbury for the 2018–19 season. On 9 January 2020, in the 2019–20 Super Smash against the

Wellington Firebirds The Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand men's first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. It is based in Wellington. It competes in the Plunket Shield first class (4-day) competition, The Ford Trophy domestic one da ...

, Williams took a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

. In June 2020, he was offered a contract by Canterbury ahead of the 2020–21 domestic cricket season. In October 2020, in the second round of the

2020–21 Plunket Shield season The 2020–21 Plunket Shield was the 92nd season of the Plunket Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition in New Zealand. It started on 19 October 2020 and finished on 6 April 2021. Wellington were the defending champions. On 15 June ...

, Williams took his first

five-wicket haul In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer") occurs when a bowler takes five or more wickets in a single innings. This is regarded by critics as a notable achievement, equivalent to a century from a batsman. Takin ...

in first-class cricket. In the next round of the tournament, he took another five-wicket haul, with 5/26 against

Northern Districts The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...

. In June 2022, Williams was signed on a short-term overseas contract by

Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in English cricket. The club has held first-class status since it was founded in 1864. Lancashire's home is Old Trafford Cricket Ground, although the team also play ...

to play in the

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

in England. The following month, Williams was signed as a local player by Lancashire until the end of the 2025 season and ending his Canterbury career. In addition to his cricketing career, Williams is also a pilot.https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/lancashire-premium/will_williams_ideally_suited_take_flight_county_championship_.html

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Will 1992 births Living people English cricketers New Zealand cricketers New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom Canterbury cricketers Lancashire cricketers Cricketers from Christchurch