New Zealand captain Kane Williamson ruled out of home Test series against South Africa

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the two-match Test series against South Africa later this month after failing to recover in time from a long-standing elbow injury. The strain injury, which can’t be corrected by surgery, also caused Williamson to miss New Zealand’s recent series against Bangladesh.

The retirement of veteran Ross Taylor will leave New Zealand with one of its thinnest batting lineups in recent years, with the bowling allrounder Daryl Mitchell likely to bat as high as No. 5. New Zealand recalled all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme and opener Hamish Rutherford for the first game, while wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher and fast bowler Blair Tickner were given maiden call-ups to the Test side, which will be led by Tom Latham.

“(Kane) was desperate to be fit for the series but with the amount of loading required for test cricket, we had to make the tough call… and focus on returning for the white-ball matches against the Netherlands in March,” Kiwi head coach Gary Stead said.

Trent Boult will also miss the first Test as he awaits the birth of his third child, while left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel could potentially be in the fray for the second Test.

“It’s important to remember this squad is just for the first Test, so we do have the flexibility to make changes as required, with the likes of Trent and Ajaz potentially available for the second,” added Stead.

New Zealand squad for the first Test: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Cam Fletcher, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Will Young