Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is delighted to confirm that Kane Williamson has signed to play for both Middlesex and London Spirit for the 2025 season, which will see the New Zealander feature at Lord’s several times across the summer.
Williamson, who is New Zealand’s leading run scorer in across the three combined international formats with over 18,000 runs, will play for Middlesex in at least 10 of their 14 Vitality Blast fixtures, and at least five Rothesay County Championship matches in the second half of the season.
The former New Zealand captain, who led his side to an unforgettable ICC Cricket World Cup Final at Lord’s in 2019, will then skipper London Spirit in this year’s edition of The Hundred.
The 34-year-old is currently with the New Zealand One-Day International squad, as they embark on their ICC Champions Trophy campaign which begins against hosts Pakistan on Wednesday. He scored an unbeaten 133 against South Africa in Lahore as recently as last week.
Williamson has featured in domestic cricket in England before for both Gloucestershire and Yorkshire, but this arrangement will see him make Lord’s his home for the first time, from May through to September.
In The Hundred, he becomes one of the tournament’s first ever direct signings, with London Spirit acquiring the services of Williamson outside of the draft process. He will captain the side under Justin Langer, who was announced as the Head Coach of the men’s team last month.
Williamson said: “Our international schedule has allowed for a bit of break during the English summer, and I was looking to come to the UK with my family, so when this opportunity arose it was a really exciting prospect.
“The Home of Cricket is one of my favourite grounds in the world for so many different reasons. I’ve had so many incredible moments there.
“Every player in the world holds Lord’s in the highest regard. They have been able to maintain the tradition around playing there, and that’s what makes it unique to any other place in the world.”
Fraser Stewart, General Manager of London Spirit, said: “We’re thrilled to have Kane on board for this summer. For us to be able to make a direct signing of this calibre is truly exciting for London Spirit, and I am sure that he will be looking forward to captaining our talented side.”
Rob Lynch, Director of Cricket and Operations at MCC, said: “Kane is one of the biggest names in world cricket, and for him to be gracing the hallowed turf at Lord’s this summer is a privilege for our Members and all our visitors to the Ground. I hope as many supporters as possible take the opportunity to watch him in action.”
Vitality Blast tickets will be available this Wednesday 19 February from 10.00 GMT, with early bird pricing for all adult tickets.
Until 7 May and starting from £33, adult tickets will be £5 cheaper across all four matches scheduled at Lord's during the early bird period.
This year U25s will have access to a set ticket price of just £29 and U16s tickets only £7.