The New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum admits it's a blow to lose opening batsman Martin Guptill for the rest of the
series against England, especially when he's returing to form.
Guptill had a tough tour of South Africa but performed well in the Twenty20 series and provided heroics in the first One Day International win over England, when he helped New Zealand get over the line, despite a hamstring injury.
Guptill will have surgery next week on a thumb injury he suffered earlier in the series and McCullum says the timing is unfortunate when Guptill would have headed into the test series with more confidence.
The test team will be named at the conclusion of the final one day international tomorrow in Auckland.
BJ Watling has been tipped as possible contender to replace Gutpill as the opener, but McCullum says he sees Watling more as a middle-order batsman.
