Williamson "ready to go" against Sri Lanka, reveals Tim Southee

Kane Williamson, who lost his grandmother Joan Williamson-Orr, a former mayor of Taupo, will join the squad late for the Test series opener against Sri Lanka in Christchurch after the memorial service on Wednesday. With the first Test against Sri Lanka set to take place in two days, Test skipper Tim Southee revealed that Williamson has trained with his domestic side Northern Districts in the meantime and will be available for the match.

"On behalf of the team, I think everyone is feeling for Kane at the moment, and he is in the best place he can be," Southee said. "And that is with, in and around, his family. It is a sad time for the Williamson family, and we look forward to Kane joining up. He's been able to train with the ND guys in Tauranga, so I am sure he will be hitting plenty of balls and making sure he is ready to go come Thursday."

New Zealand secured an epic one-run win against England at Basin Reserve after being followed on in the first innings. This was only the fourth instance of a team winning a game after being followed on and Southee was pleased to have been part of history.

"It has been great to have the amount of people who have been talking about Test cricket; to see the Basin Reserve filled for five days was great to be a part of," Southee said. "I think, just in general, the guys are pleased to see people talking about Test cricket, and Test cricket being exciting. England have played their part in that over the last year or so.

"The guys still see Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game, and to have the amount of people who come up and talk about Test cricket is pleasing to see. It is a match that will be talked about for a long time, but they are a very humble group. Now our focus will shift to Sri Lanka."