Changes are on the way for the Blackcaps for the second test against England, starting Thursday night.
Coach Gary Stead has confirmed left-arm seamer Trent Boult will return quicker than expected, arriving in the UK three weeks after his teammates and settling quickly.
But spinning all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been ruled out with a finger injury, while captain Kane Williamson is in doubt, as he continues to recover from a sore shoulder.
Stead had initially ruled Boult out of the Edgbaston test, preferring to save his spearhead for the World Test Championship final, but the veteran says he is ready to go and at full steam.
"I can't go into a test match saying I can only do X, Y and Z, so no, I'm here to play the full part and I'm really looking forward to it," Boult says.
Boult's inclusion will likely come at the expense of first-test hero Tim Southee, with Stead wary of overworking his front-line options in such a tight test window.
Boult would've relished another test alongside his usual partner in crime.
"That's the luxury of having the wider squad here and potentially some rotation, but from my point of view, I'd love to be out there with my mate and doing the things we normally do."
As for Williamson's injury worry, Stead remains optimistic, but won't risk the star batsman with India just over a week away.
"We've had some more treatment on that and we just want to make sure it's the best thing for him, playing this match versus taking a little more time just to be ready," says Stead.
The selection headaches are nothing more than a distraction for Stead, who has a deep pool of quality players in the squad that could fill in for Santner and Williamson.
Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell could all fill the roles well, giving Stead food for thought.
"There are guys in and around the squad who have played for us in the past, so we're having those discussions with the guys at the moment and we'll make that call later today [Wednesday]," he says.
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