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New Zealand are ready to welcome Kane Williamson back for their series opener against England but face a selection dilemma after whitewashing India in his absence.
Williamson is fit again after a groin injury saw him sit out the entirety of a famous 3-0 away win and proved his readiness by reeling off a half-century in his comeback match for Northern Districts last week.
Despite the temptation not to change a winning team, Williamson’s status as the country’s record run-scorer means he will walk straight back into the XI in Christchurch on Thursday.
It falls to head coach Gary Stead and captain Tom Latham to break the bad news to one of their victorious side, with Will Young vulnerable despite averaging 48.80 against India in the pivotal number three spot.
“Obviously Kane will come back into the side, he’s a superb player as we know but that creates some headaches for Tom and I to get our heads around,” said Stead.
“Kane is obviously a class player, one of the best in the world, so he will be playing somewhere in that lineup. It’s just how we manage to shape the rest of the team around that.
“What happened over there was magic, the team played superbly well, and probably outplayed India in most facets of the game. We’re excited about what we did there and also looking ahead to what is a huge challenge for us against a quality England side.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a cracker of a Test series. We’ll see some fireworks I would suggest.”
It’s nice he’s come to it on his terms and worked out it’s the right time for him. We’ll certainly miss him when he’s not here.
Gary Stead on the retiring Tim Southee
New Zealand will field all-rounders Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips as spin options alongside a four-pronged pace attack featuring one of two potential debutants, Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy.
Veteran Tim Southee will lead the attack in his farewell series, having announced his imminent retirement against the same opponents he started against all the way back in 2008.
“He’s been a fantastic player for a long period of time. We’ll certainly miss him when he’s not here but that time does come for everyone,” said Stead.
“It’s nice he’s come to it on his terms and worked out it’s the right time for him. We’ll certainly miss him when he’s not here.”
