Wicketkeeper-batter Dane Cleaver will finally make his Blackcaps debut in the first match of New Zealand's Twenty20 series against Ireland on Tuesday (NZ time).
After the Blackcaps' 3-0 sweep of their one-day series, the two sides have travelled north to Belfast for the three T20s.
Tom Latham, Will Young and Henry Nicholls have returned to New Zealand, after their involvement in the test-series defeat to England, leaving Mitchell Santner as captain.
Latham's departure leaves the Blackcaps without a capped wicketkeeper and opens the door for Cleaver, 30, to debut.
Cleaver was in line for his Blackcaps debut last summer, after finishing second in Super Smash runscoring with 369 at an average of more than 46, a strike rate of 166.21 and high score of 114 not out.
After he was named against the Netherlands in Napier, a washout left him waiting on his first taste of international cricket.
"It's very exciting," said Santner. "I've seen a lot of Dane in his career.
"He's been doing very well for the last few years. He definitely deserves the opportunity.
"Unfortunately, he didn't get to make his debut back in New Zealand, but I think he's pretty excited for these games coming up.
"Every time you get the opportunity to put the cap on is a special moment, especially your first game. He's got his family here, which is nice as well."
Santner also looks forward to leading the Blackcaps in the T20s against Ireland, as well as white-ball series against Scotland and the Netherlands.
"It's pretty exciting," he added. "I've done the odd game in the last couple of years, so to actually lead the team for a whole series from here, it's obviously a privilege.
"We've got a nice squad and come up against a good opposition, so it's going to be a good series."
The series will also give New Zealand a chance to look at some less-experienced players and test their depth before the T20 World Cup in Australia from October.
"You want to play as many games as you can leading into a World Cup," said Santner. "We've got an opportunity now to look at some other guys in the next couple of series, if we want to go that way.
"It's exciting times. We've got a lot of cricket before the World Cup, so there could be a little bit of rotation as well, but we want to win every game and it starts tomorrow."
