Black Caps captain Tom Latham said today that they wouldn’t be revealing their starting 11 for the third Test until the coin toss tomorrow morning.
Latham said they want to see how the pitch is looking on day one so they aren't revealing their team yet.
Latham did confirm one change to the starting side as Will Young will open the batting in place of Devon Conway, who stepped away from the team to await the birth of his first child.
Despite the squad not yet being announced, it would be surprising if Tim Southee was left out of the team for his final Test match.
Southee is set to step onto his home ground of Seddon Park for the last time as a Black Cap Test player to bring an end his 16-year long career.
"It’s a great occasion for Tim, it’s his last Test match and we’ll celebrate that throughout and post the Test match," said Latham.
"He (Southee) is going to be remembered as one of the greats of our game, the numbers back things up around that, but also internally the leader he is and the legacy he will leave from a bowling point of view."
Tim Southee is set to play his last Test match for the Black Caps at Seddon Park this weekend. (Source: 1News)
Southee passed on his role as Black Caps skipper to Tom Latham earlier this year following a disappointing Test series in Sri Lanka.
"I’ve had the privilege of playing pretty much all my Test matches with Tim. To see how he goes about things day in and day out, the longevity he’s had as a seam bowler in New Zealand, to play the amount of Test matches that he has and to be pretty close to 400 Test wickets is no mean feat."
Southee ends his Test career as New Zealand’s all-time leading international wicket-taker (currently 774) across all formats of the game which includes 389 wickets in Test cricket.
"We'll certainly miss him, the dressing room will miss him but he’s going to leave behind a long legacy I’m sure that will live on for a long time."
He is also the only player in the world to claim more than 300 Test wickets, 200 ODI wickets and 100 T20I wickets.
Southee debuted for the Black Caps in 2008, taking five wickets against England and hitting 77 off 40 balls in Napier.
A man who has fond memories of Southee’s career is Seddon Park groundsman Karl Johnson, who has maintained the Hamilton ground for the last 20 years.
“I did see him when he first came to Northern Districts. He was an 18-year-old from Whangārei who was talked about for how good he was,” said Johnson.
“He's a great mate, a good guy and he's done a lot for New Zealand Cricket so it should be a pretty special Test match.”
New Zealand Cricket have marked the occasion by renaming the Seddon Park Pavilion end the “Tim Southee End” for the Test match to acknowledge the 36-year-old’s contribution to the sport.
Following his final Test match, Southee will make a decision on whether he wants to make himself available for the Black Caps white-ball series against Sri Lanka at the end of the month.
The Black Caps are aiming to avoid a series clean sweep against England, who could become just the third visiting side to win a three-match series 3-0 in New Zealand.
Latham recognised his teams' poor form coming into the third Test.
"We know we haven’t played to our potential over the last couple of games but hopefully we can put a good showing on for the fans and we really appreciate their support."
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