Will O’Rourke

Some Lesser Known Facts About Will O’Rourke

• Will O’Rourke’s father, Patrick, was a fast bowler who played for Wellington from 1989 to 1992.

• Patrick worked as the chief country officer for Deutsche Bank in New Zealand. He then worked for 13 years in London.

• Will O’Rourke was born in London in 2001.

• His family shifted to Auckland from London when he was five years old. Once, during a media conversation, he shared his childhood memories. Will O’Rourke said,
  

  Mum and Dad, two Kiwis, were keen to raise us back in New Zealand. I came back here when I was five, so I don’t remember much of the UK. I was always a Kiwi and I always wanted to play for the Black Caps.”

• Will’s uncle, Matthew O’Rourke, played one senior cricket match for Auckland, New Zealand, in the 1991-1992 season.

• Patrick once shared with the media that Will O’Rourke had early memories of cricket as a child. Patrick said,
  

  I’ve got photos of him as a baby with my cricket gloves on. He’s been a cricket nut for as long as I can remember.”

  Patrick added,

  He wanted to play straight away, but I held him back until he was seven.”

• O’Rourke also played rugby union as a flanker or number eight, but when he became tall, he was moved to the second row (a position he did not enjoy), which made him lose interest in the sport.

• Will O’Rourke started practising cricket at a young age.

• He played for Auckland age-group teams from the 2017-2018 to the 2019-2020 seasons.

• In 2018, he became popular at the under-17 national tournament, playing for Auckland’s winning team. He took 5 wickets for 15 runs against the Otago Cricket Team in the first match.

• Will O’Rourke ended the tournament as the joint third-highest wicket-taker. He took 10 wickets at an average of 10.40.

• When he was 19 years old, he was practising cricket under coach Brendon Donkers, and due to his uncoordinated bowling style, Donkers described him as a ‘newborn giraffe.’

• In 2019, Will O’Rourke shifted from Auckland to Christchurch to study sports coaching at the University of Canterbury.

• In December 2019, he was selected for New Zealand’s ‘Burnside West Christchurch University Cricket Club’ for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he performed well.

  

• This performance led to his selection for the Canterbury ‘A’ team in the 2020-2021 season. He took 10 wickets during the National Provincial A Tournament.

• In January 2021, Will O’Rourke played two T20 matches for the New Zealand XI Cricket Team against the Pakistan Shaheens.

• After the 2020-2021 season, he received his first domestic contract from Canterbury Cricket Association.

• On 3 January 2022, he made his List A debut against Otago in the Ford Trophy.

• On 7 January 2022, Will O’Rourke played his first Twenty20 match against the Auckland Cricket Team.

•  On 20 March 2022, he made his first-class debut against the Central Districts Cricket Team.

• In the 2022-2023 Super Smash, he became Canterbury’s joint-highest wicket-taker. He took 12 wickets in 10 matches. Canterbury reached the final of the competition that season.

• In the 2022-2023 Ford Trophy, Will O’Rourke became Canterbury’s top wicket-taker. He took 13 wickets in 9 matches.

• He took 3 wickets for 47 runs against the Otago Cricket Team and helped Canterbury reach the final.

  

• On 2 February 2024, Will O’Rourke received his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket against Otago. He took 6 wickets for 20 runs, and the score became the second-best ever by a Canterbury player in List A matches.

• In March 2023, he was selected for the New Zealand A team for a first-class series against Australia A.

• In December 2023, he was chosen by the New Zealand national team ‘Blackcaps’ for an ODI series against Bangladesh.

  

• Will O’Rourke made his ODI debut in that series and became the first England-born player to represent New Zealand since the 1990s.

• In January 2024, he was chosen for New Zealand’s Test team for a series against South Africa.

• On 13 February 2024, Will O’Rourke made his Test debut, where he took five wickets in South Africa’s second innings.

• In the match, he took 9 wickets for 93 runs, and the score became the best by a New Zealander on Test debut.

  

• In January 2025, he was named in New Zealand’s team for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

• Will O’Rourke is known for using his height to create extra bounce while bowling.

• He is a fast bowler who can bowl at speeds up to 150 km/h (93 mph).

• His bowling style is often compared to Kyle Jamieson, another tall New Zealand pacer.

• Will O’Rourke has worked earlier with Jamieson to improve his bowling skills.

• He likes travelling to distant places and playing golf in his free time.