Canberra - New Zealand coach Mike Hesson says Tim Southee will captain the team in place of Brendan McCullum in Friday's opening Australian tour match against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.
Hessan said on Wednesday that McCullum, B.J. Watling and possibly Kane Williamson will sit out the day-night one-dayer at Manuka Oval.
He said New Zealand has "a plan for all of our guys and we've sort of mapped out the next seven days" ahead of the first of three tests against Australia starting Nov. 5 in Brisbane.
Test prospects Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges and Peter Siddle have been included the PM's XI.
Friday's match will have a pink ball like the one to be used in the third test at Adelaide, the world's first day-night Test.