Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson is confident of being fit for New Zealand's upcoming two-test series against England, which starts on November 21.
Williamson was ruled out of the Blackcaps' ongoing five-match T20I series against England due to a hip injury which has been giving him problems for most of the year.
He has only played only one game in the last two months and has batted just four times since the World Cup final in July, making a total of 50 runs.
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But the 29-year-old has been training with his teammates and is determined to play in the first-ever test match at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval.
"It's been an ongoing niggle, really," he told Sky Sports NZ during the Blackcaps' defeat in the fourth T20 at Napier. "That comes at goes. It is settling, which is nice.
"A lot of [the last few months] has been rehab to get the hip right. I had a four-dayer recently, and there's a gap between this series and the first test, so it's basically training going into it.
"I guess if you're looking at preparation and perfect preparation, gametime can be nice - spending time in the middle - but it'll be tough to come by seeing as there's not a lot of cricket between now and then. So it's just trying to get the mindset right to go on and execute your plans as well as you can."
Willamson added he's excited for test cricket to come to Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval, one of his home grounds when he plays for Northern Districts in domestic cricket.
Bay Oval will become New Zealand's ninth test cricket venue.
"[It's a] really exciting time for cricket in the Bay of Plenty," Williamson added. "I know everyone there is looking forward to the occasion, and I know the guys are looking forward to some red-ball cricket as well.
"[We're] looking forward to get involved in the test matches, which will be a really exciting opportunity for us, taking on a strong English side."
The Blackcaps haven't named their test squad yet, while the majority of England's team arrived in New Zealand this week.
They will then travel to Whangarei on Monday ahead of a three-day warm-up match against New Zealand A, starting on Friday. Tom Blundell will captain the team which features nine Blackcaps.
Newshub.
