Blackcaps captain Kane Williamson and bowler Kyle Jamieson have withdrawn from the upcoming Twenty20 series against Bangladesh on injury grounds.
Both have been nursing ongoing injuries, with Williamson recovering from knee surgery to contest the recent World Cup and test series in Bangladesh, while Jamieson has been plagued by a hamstring niggle.
The towering fast-bowler withdrew from the current one-day series against the tourists amid reassurances from coach Gary Stead he would return for the T20 fixtures. That is now no longer the case, providing an opportunity for selectors to further test their squad depth.
"We want both Kane and Kyle to be in the best possible place leading into the next block of test cricket against South Africa and Australia," said Stead. "Based on discussions with the medical staff and the players, it was decided a period of rehabilitation and conditioning was the best option for both of them."
They have been replaced by Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy respectively, with allrounder Mitch Santner taking the captaincy in Williamson's absence.
New Zealand has already sealed an ODI series victory over Bangladesh, with victories at Dunedin and Nelson, and hope to avoid a first-ever home defeat against their rivals at Napier on Saturday.
The Blackcaps T20 side to face Bangladesh are;
Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Join Newshub at 11am Saturday for live updates of the Blackcaps v Bangladesh third one-dayer
