Will O’Rourke to be out of action for three months with back injury
New Zealand pacer Will O’Rourke will be out of action for at least three months after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back. Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips are set to miss the white-ball series against Australia in October, with captain Mitchell Santner’s availability also in doubt.
New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe | Will O’Rourke ruled out of second Test with back injury
IND vs NZ | Kiwi pacers fold India for 46 before Conway makes merry on historic Day 2
International career
William Peter O'Rourke was born on 6 August 2001 in New Zealand. He is a right-arm fast bowler. He plays domestic cricket for the Canterbury team. O'Rourke started playing for New Zealand’s main team in December 2023. Before that, he played for the New Zealand under-19 team.
O'Rourke is tall and can bowl with extra bounce. He can bowl at speeds up to 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph). People often compare his bowling style to Kyle Jamieson, another tall fast bowler from New Zealand. O'Rourke worked with Jamieson to improve his bowling skills.
2019
- December: Named in New Zealand’s squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
2023
- March: Selected for New Zealand A squad for the first-class series against Australia A.
- December: Called to the New Zealand senior squad for the first time before the ODI series against Bangladesh.
- December 17: Made ODI debut vs Bangladesh at Dunedin. First England-born cricketer to play for New Zealand since the 1990s.
2024
- February 13–16: Made Test debut vs South Africa at Hamilton. Took nine wickets for 93 runs in the match, the best match figures by a New Zealander on Test debut.
- February: Played the first Test vs India, took 7 wickets, helped bowl India out for 46 runs in the first innings.
- April 21: Made T20I debut vs Pakistan at Rawalpindi.
- December 14–17: Last Test played vs England at Hamilton.
2025
- January: Named in New Zealand’s squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
- March 26: Last T20I played vs Pakistan at Wellington.
- April 5: Last ODI played vs Pakistan at Mount Maunganui.
Leagues Participation
William O'Rourke was bought for INR 3 crore in the IPL 2025. He joined the team as a replacement for Mayank Yadav, who could not play due to a back injury. Another player, Shardul Thakur, joined as a replacement for Mohsin Khan, who left the team after an injury.
Indian Premier League
William Peter O'Rourke is a New Zealand fast bowler who played for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025. He joined LSG as an injury replacement for Mayank Yadav. O'Rourke made his IPL debut on 19 May 2025 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In one match, he conceded 74 runs in 4 overs, setting the record for the worst bowling figures in a run chase in IPL history.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
|
2025
|
Lucknow Super Giants
|
Played as injury replacement for Mayank Yadav; made IPL debut; set record for most runs conceded in a run chase (74 runs in 4 overs).
|
Domestic career
William O'Rourke started playing cricket at a young age. He played for Auckland youth teams from 2017 to 2020. Later, he moved to the South Island to study at the University of Canterbury. He played well for Burnside West Christchurch University Cricket Club. Because of this, he joined the Canterbury 'A' team in the 2020–21 season and took 10 wickets in the National Provincial A Tournament. In January 2021, he played two Twenty20 matches for a New Zealand XI against the Pakistan Shaheens.
After the 2020–21 season, Canterbury Cricket gave him a domestic contract. His List A debut happened on 3 January 2022 against Otago. He played his first Twenty20 match on 7 January against Auckland. His first-class debut came on 20 March against Central Districts.
In the 2022–23 season, O'Rourke was among the top wicket-takers for Canterbury. He took 12 wickets in the Super Smash T20 competition and helped the team reach the final. He also took 13 wickets in nine matches in the Ford Trophy, including 3 for 47 against Otago.
On 2 February 2024, he took five wickets for the first time in List A cricket against Otago, with figures of 6 for 20. This was the second-best bowling result for a Canterbury player in List A matches.
Records and achievements
William O’Rourke has set several notable records and reached important milestones in his cricket career. His performances have drawn attention both in domestic cricket and in the IPL.
- 2023
- Broke the record for the worst bowling figures in a run chase in IPL history by conceding 74 runs in four overs. This beat the previous record of 69 runs held by Yash Dayal.
- Took 12 wickets in 10 matches during the 2022-23 Super Smash season, helping Canterbury reach the final.
- Led Canterbury in wickets in the 2022-23 Ford Trophy with 13 wickets in 9 games, including 3 for 47 against Otago.
- 2024
- Took his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket with figures of 6 for 20 against Otago in the 2023-24 Ford Trophy. This was the second-best bowling performance by a Canterbury player in List A cricket.
Personal life
William Peter O’Rourke was born in London in 2001. His family moved back to New Zealand when he was a child. His father and uncle both played cricket in New Zealand. Outside cricket, O’Rourke keeps his life private.
Family
As of October 2024, O’Rourke is single and has no children. Reports say he has a long-term relationship with a woman who is not involved in sports. His father, Paddy O’Rourke, played for Wellington, and his uncle, Matthew O’Rourke, played for Auckland.
Finance
In 2025, O’Rourke’s net worth is between 1 and 2 million New Zealand dollars (about 600,000 to 1.2 million US dollars).
Scandals
O’Rourke broke a record in the IPL by conceding 74 runs in four overs during a run chase. This is the highest number of runs given by a bowler in this situation.
Fans
He has about 20,000 followers on Instagram.
