Born in South Africa, Shawn Hicks emigrated to New Zealand and found a new home in Auckland - where he started his career as a cricketer. Still very young in his career, Hicks has already featured for a host of teams - starting with the age-level groups in Auckland to the New Zealand Under-19 team, to Auckland 'A' and finally to the main team.

Hicks was part of New Zealand's Under-19 team for the 2014 edition of the World Cup where he was New Zealand's fourth highest run-getter with 123 runs, including a half-century against United Arab Emirates (UAE). His ability with the bat and ball was noted by Auckland and Hicks made his first-class debut during the 2015-16 season. It turned out to be a short stay for Hicks in Auckland and he moved south to Dunedin-based Otago ahead of the 2017-18 season.