New Zealand fast bowlers Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry are out of the first Test against England in Mount Maunganui starting Thursday.
Jamieson has been ruled out of the two-game Test series due to a suspected stress fracture in his back, which is a re-occurrence of the same injury that sidelined him last year.
Henry is unavailable as he has remained in Christchurch for the birth of his first child. The Black Caps are already without left-arm quick Trent Boult due to franchise commitments.
Jamieson has taken 72 wickets in 16 Tests at an impressive average of 19.45, while 31-year-old Henry has claimed 55 wickets in 18 Tests, including 14 in last year's two-game home Test series against South Africa. Jamieson had taken three wickets from 15 overs in last week's two-day tour game against England.
Uncapped duo Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggeleijn have replaced the fast-bowling pair in the 14-man squad.
"It's really gutting for Kyle to have this happen after he'd put so much hard work in to getting himself back on the park," Black Caps head coach Gary Stead said.
"Since the injury in June we've certainly taken a cautious approach to managing his return with regular monitoring by our medical staff which has included scans. While Kyle's not feeling any pain, the evidence is pretty clear he has a stress fracture and so he'll return to Christchurch today and have a CT scan on Friday before we decide on the next steps.
"Family is always the priority in our environment and that's informed the decision around Matt and his availability for the Test. We wish him and his wife Holly all the best as they await the birth of their first child in Christchurch."
The New Zealand squad will also be bolstered by the arrivals of Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls on Tuesday.
Blundell recently welcomed his second child, delaying his arrival, while Nicholls had his original flight from Christchurch cancelled due to Cyclone Gabrielle which had impacted the arrivals into camp of numerous players and support staff.
New Zealand have not lost a home Test series to England since 2008. The Black Caps lost a three-game Test series in England last year 3-0.
IPL: Mumbai Indians condemned to last-place finish after 18-run defeat to Super Giants
Rohit Sharma's half-century was not enough for Mumbai Indians as they slipped to an 18-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium.
The defeat consigned Mumbai to bottom place in the Indian Premier League for the second time in the space of three seasons, after losing 10 matches this year.
LSG were also left to lament their misfortune, as despite reaching 14 points, they did not qualify for the play-offs.
KL Rahul's 55 got the ball rolling for Lucknow, but their innings was ebbing out until Nicholas Pooran's dazzling 29-ball 75 took them to 214-6, despite the efforts of Nuwan Thushara (3-28) and Piyush Chawla (3-29), who stepped up in Jasprit Bumrah's absence.
Rohit's 38-ball 68 set the tone for what looked set to be a promising Mumbai chase, as he struck 13 boundaries around a short rain delay.
However, Mumbai went from 88 without loss to 120-5 in the space of six overs, leaving the tail with too much of a mountain to climb.
Data Debrief: Lucknow miss out
While Mumbai sit bottom of the pile yet again, it is a case of what might have been for LSG, who for the first time in their three-season history, failed to make the top four.
Fourteen points is often enough to get over the line and into the play-offs, but their poor net run rate of -0.667 means they miss out.
All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby
New Zealand captain Sam Cane has announced he will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024, having agreed a three-year contract with Japan Rugby League One team Tokyo Sungoliath.
Cane made his All Blacks debut in 2012 and has represented his country 95 times, including through the team's triumphant run at the 2015 World Cup.
The flanker succeeded Kieran Read as captain in 2020, though his most recent international outing ended with him suffering the ignominy of becoming the first man to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, as New Zealand were beaten by South Africa last year.
Cane will be eligible to represent the All Blacks through the second half of 2024 after returning from an initial spell in Japan but will then head there permanently after New Zealand Rugby agreed to release him from his contract.
"A good opportunity came my way with Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said. "I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family it seemed like the best decision to help set us up for our future.
"I had my time as captain and it was a huge honour and privilege. If I'm fortunate enough to be selected for the All Blacks this year then I'll still be myself.
"I love that team, and if part of my role is contributing leadership-wise, I'll be happy to support the new captain as best I can to help with a speedy transition."
Babar's captain's innings leads Pakistan to victory as series drawn with New Zealand
Babar Azam top scored as he led his Pakistan team to a nine-run victory over New Zealand in Lahore that saw the five-game T20I series end in a draw.
Babar hit 69 runs off 44 balls before being bowled by Ben Sears, smashing six fours and two sixes to take his team to 123/3 at the time of his dismissal.
Fakhar Zaman (43 from 33) and Usman Khan (31 off 24) also chipped in with important innings as Pakistan ended on 178/5.
With a target of 179 to secure a 3-1 series victory, New Zealand's run chase faltered almost immediately as opener Tom Blundell was removed within the first over with his team having managed just five runs on the board.
Blundell's fellow opener Tim Seifert steadied the ship with a vital 52-run innings off 33 deliveries before being bowled by Usama Mir, but Shaheen Shah Afridi led the way for Pakistan, finishing with figures of 4-30 to stem the New Zealand run chase
Josh Clarkson's 38 off 26 set up a nervy conclusion, but Pakistan held on to avoid defeat in the T20 series as the teams share the spoils at two wins apiece after the first game was abandoned.
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