The White Ferns will have a new captain for today's final T20 against Pakistan with Melie Kerr set to lead the side with regular skipper Sophie Devine ruled out.
Devine has been removed from today's dead rubber after receiving a Cortisone injection in her knee.
New Zealand Cricket said the 34-year-old had been managing pain in her right knee during the first two games of the T20 series - both losses in Dunedin - and a decision was made to undergo the medical procedure so she could participate fully in the ODI series, which starts on Tuesday in Queenstown.
“It’s never easy missing an international, but the decision was made very much with the ODI series in mind," head coach Ben Sawyer said.
“Soph needs a period of rest following the Cortisone to allow the injection to take full effect.”
In her place, Sawyer confirmed 23-year-old Kerr would captain the national side for the first time.
"Melie’s a natural leader who’s been a senior player in our group for a while now," he said.
"She’s a well-respected teammate and has a good cricket brain - so I’m really looking forward to watching her lead the side."
Kerr has earned 131 International caps since her 2016 debut and has captained the Wellington Blaze in the Dream11 Super Smash.
Izzy Gaze has been retained in the squad following her inclusion as cover for the opening game.
The third T20 begins at 1pm at Sir John Davies Oval in Queenstown with the match to be broadcast live and free-to-air on TVNZ 1 and SENZ.
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