William Young is a New Zealand professional cricketer known for his batting prowess. He represents the New Zealand national cricket team and the Central Districts in domestic cricket. Young's journey in cricket began at a young age, and his talent quickly propelled him to leadership roles, including captaining the New Zealand Under-19 cricket team at the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Young made his first-class debut for Central Districts during the 2011/12 New Zealand domestic cricket season. His leadership skills were recognized early, and in December 2015, at 23, he was appointed captain of the Central Stags. Under his captaincy, the team won the one-day Ford Trophy in 2016 and went unbeaten to claim the first-class Plunket Shield in 2018. After achieving significant success as captain, Young decided to step down to concentrate on his batting and secure a place in the New Zealand national team.

In December 2018, Young was included in New Zealand's Test squad for the first time for the series against Sri Lanka, though he did not play. His debut was further delayed when he was named to make his Test debut against Bangladesh in March 2019, only for the match to be cancelled due to a terrorist attack in Christchurch.

Despite not having played an international match, Young's potential was recognized, and in May 2019, he was awarded an annual New Zealand Cricket (NZC) contract for the 2019–20 season. That same month, he was set to be named as a reserve player for the New Zealand squad in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Following his shoulder surgery, Young displayed impressive form, scoring back-to-back centuries for a New Zealand XI against Australia in a one-day warm-up series in Brisbane in May 2019. He scored 60, 130, and 111 in three unofficial ODIs, averaging over 100 in the series.

In November 2020, Young was named in the New Zealand A team for practice matches against the touring West Indies team. Later that month, he was included in New Zealand's Test squad for the series against the West Indies. He made his Test debut on 3 December 2020, against the West Indies.

In March 2021, Young was named in New Zealand's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Bangladesh. He made his ODI debut on 20 March 2021. Shortly after, he was included in New Zealand's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad, also for the series against Bangladesh, and made his T20I debut on 28 March 2021.

Young's first century in ODIs came in March 2022, in the opening match against the Netherlands, where he scored an unbeaten 103 runs. This milestone marked a significant achievement in his international career.

In January 2023, Young showcased his batting skills in a T20 match, hitting five consecutive deliveries for six off Auckland spinner Louis Delport. He was dismissed on the final ball while attempting to achieve the rare feat of six sixes in an over.