New Zealand's South African cricket tour has been dealt another major blow following an injury to their leading pace bowler.
Adding to the absence of the Black Caps' leading batsman Ross Taylor, Tim Southee will take no part in the tour after suffering a severe thumb injury while he was fielding during the Northern Knights Plunket Shield match against Wellington on Wednesday.
Scans on Thursday revealed the ligament in his thumb had fully ruptured and retracted, and it'll require surgery which will keep Southee out of the game for six to eight weeks.
The 24-year-old was in top form during the recent series against Sri Lanka, taking eight wickets in the second test which the Black Caps won to share the series.
Southee was already sitting out the Twenty20 series, which starts Saturday morning, because he's due to become a father in the next day or so.
His replacement for the South Africa test series has yet to be named.
It does give a possible lifeline for 38-year-old Chris Martin, or hands an opportunity to one of the new players.
Martin, who was sidelined on the tour of India and Sri Lanka, comes back into test contention along with Neil Wagner and the likes of Mitchell McClenaghan, who impressed in the Black Caps Twenty20 warmup match.
