napier odi

Gary Stead: New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said premier batter Kane Williamson is likely to be fit in time for the first Test against South Africa, starting on February 4 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Williamson had missed three out of five T20Is against Pakistan due to a right hamstring injury.

"I'm confident he will be alright. He's probably got another day or two before he starts back into training and it was a minor niggle, which is a good thing. So, we didn't want to aggravate it and didn't see the point of aggravating it with the important series that are ahead. He's obviously a key player and we know that and we want to make sure we've given him every chance of being available," Stead was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

New Zealand are also seeing if wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell will be fit in time for the Tests against South Africa. Blundell has not played for New Zealand since the Napier ODI against Bangladesh in December 2023 due to a lower-body injury. If he isn’t fit in time for the Tests, uncapped duo of Cam Fletcher and Dane Cleaver come into the equation.