|| CF DESK ||

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the South Africa Test series due to an elbow injury and will miss the series.

Tom Latham will lead the side, all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme and opener Hamish Rutherford have been recalled for the first match while wicketkeeper Cam Fletcher and fast bowler Blair Tickner earned maiden call-ups to the Test side.

“He [Kane Williamson] was desperate to be fit for the series but with the amount of loading required for Test cricket, we had to make the tough call for him to sit it out and focus on returning for the white ball matches against Netherlands in March,” Coach Gray Stead said.

“Kane loves playing for the Black Caps and especially in Test cricket so it was a particularly hard call. However the priority has to be trying to get the injury right and having him available long term,” he added.

The 31-year-old Williamson also missed the two-test home series against Bangladesh last month due to the injury.

Kiwi pacer Trent Boult will also be unavailable as he awaits the birth of his third child, while left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel could potentially be in the fray for the second Test.

New Zealand squad:

Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Cam Fletcher, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Will Young.