Kane Williamson set to be ruled of home Test series against South Africa

Champion New Zealand batter and skipper Kane Williamson is likely to be ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, starting at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on February 17.

According to reports published in New Zealand media, while Williamson is making positive and steady progress in his rehabilitation from an elbow injury, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) considers it is too early to push the 31-year-old back into elite cricket.

Williamson has struggled with his troublesome elbow for some time now. The right-hander missed the second Test against India in Mumbai last year due to the same injury and was subsequently ruled out of the home series against Bangladesh last month.

With Williamson set to miss the all-important Test series against the Proteas, opener Tom Latham will once again be tasked with the responsibility of leading the reigning Test champions, who will be aiming for their maiden series win over the tourists in the longest format of the game.

With Ross Taylor having already retired and Williamson unavailable, this will be the first time since January 2008 that the BlackCaps will field a playing XI without the services of their two veteran cricketers.

Regarding Williamson's fitness and potential road to recovery, head coach Gary Stead said last month that the 31-year-old all-format skipper would resume hitting throwdowns in limited 10-minute intervals but NZC will likely continue with the cautious approach to ensure there are no hiccups when he eventually returns.

“The idea is to have no pain at all. In the past couple of times we’ve tried and maybe pushed him a bit early, so we’ve got to be particular around the programme," Stead was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz last month.

“I hope we can get to a stage where it will be like that, but there’s no guarantee and it's something we’ve talked about. Kane may just have to adjust how he goes about preparing, not having quite as extensive net sessions in preparation periods. That's still something to be determined on how the elbow does shape up.” he had added.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's squad for the two-Test matches will be named later this week. South Africa remains the last team to beat the Kiwis in a Test series in their backyard. They won 1-0 in 2017, albeit thanks to a rain-interrupted draw in the last match. The first Test will commence in Christchurch on February 17.