New Zealand's injured opener Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first of the 2-Tests against Australia, scheduled to start on Thursday (February 29) at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.

Conway had sustained a blow to his left thumb during the third T20I against Australia earlier this month, and was forced to leave the field with Finn Allen taking over the role behind the stumps.   Conway didn't take any further part in the match and has yet to hit a ball since picking up the injury. Coach Gary Stead was hopeful of the opener's availability, but is now unhappy to lose a player of Conway's class. "It's disappointing for Devon to be ruled out on the eve of an important match. He's a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this series," Stead said as quoted by ICC. The 32-year-old has been replaced in the Kiwis' squad by fellow batter Henry Nicholls, who will join his Kiwi teammates in Wellington on Wednesday (February 28) and might be considered for the job of an opener. If the Kiwis need a straight replacement for an opener's slot, they also have Will Young in the squad and he is likely to fill in for Conway, but coach Stead was happy to have a player of Nicholls calibre in the squad. "It's nice to have a player of Henry's calibre to call on. He has plenty of Test experience and covers a number of positions in our batting order," Stead added. New Zealand will be boosted by the return of all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, who are likely to slot straight into the playing 11, having recovered from injuries. The series will be crucial in the World Test Championship. New Zealand sits pretty at the top of the WTC standings with a 75 per cent win-loss percentage, while Australia are currently third with a 55 per cent win-loss percentage. New Zealand squad for 1st Test vs Australia Tim Southee (captain), Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner (retired), Kane Williamson, Will Young.