New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the third Test against England with a hip injury and replaced by Grant Elliott, captain Daniel Vettori said on Friday.
South African-born Elliott will make his Test debut in the match at McLean Park, alongside teenage pace bowler Tim Southee who has been called in to replace fellow seamer Kyle Mills.
Mills broke down at training on Thursday with a calf muscle tear and was ruled out of the side.
"It's obviously disappointing because they (Mills and Oram) have been two of our better bowlers and you throw in Jacob's all round capabilities and you take two very good players out of the side," Vettori told reporters.
"It'll be tough on them (Elliott and Southee) making their debuts on a wicket that won't help them, but we have all acknowledged they have some talent and were the next in line.
"It's just an opportunity for them to step up and show what they're worth."
Vettori added there had been some thought to picking Oram just to play as a batsman but that had been quickly dispelled at practice on Friday.
"There is always that thought but he's not comfortable and not moving that well," Vettori added.
"He has had a pretty heavy (bowling) workload and in the second innings (in Wellington) he started to hurt a bit and it has got progressively worse.
"He bowled quite well yesterday but today couldn't really get through warm-up drills."
Off-spinner Jeetan Patel has also been named in the starting line-up in place of seamer Mark Gillespie.
England all-rounder Paul Collingwood is having a precautionary scan on his left calf muscle after he was hit by a ball while fielding in the second Test in Wellington.
The third and final Test begins on Saturday with the series level at 1-1. New Zealand won the first match in Hamilton by 189 runs and England won the second by 126 runs.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Jamie How, Matthew Bell, Stephen Fleming, Ross Taylor, Mathew Sinclair, Brendon McCullum, Grant Elliott, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
