Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the series against England, and faces another extended period on the sidelines after a recurrence of his back stress fracture, while Matt Henry will also miss the first Test.
Jamieson, 28, had been in line to play at least one of the upcoming Tests having not feature in international cricket since June when he initially picked up the back injury in England.
However, scans ahead of the opening match in Mount Maunganui have revealed another fracture and Jamieson will return to Christchurch for further assessment.
Jamieson, who has recently played in the Super Smash and played for the New Zealand XI in the two-day warm-up against England in Hamilton, is not currently experiencing pain but faces an uncertain timeframe.
“It’s really gutting for Kyle to have this happen after he’d put so much hard work in to getting himself back on the park,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “Since the injury in June we’ve certainly taken a cautious approach to…