Southee to miss West Indies Test

Tim Southee will miss New Zealand's first Test against West Indies as he awaits the birth of his second child.

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson confirmed the swing bowler would be absent for the match in Wellington, which begins on Friday.

Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are in contention to replace the 28-year-old for the first of two Test matches with the Windies.

"[Southee's] staying at home and we're very supportive of that," said Hesson. "Family is the priority. We had a timeline and it hasn't quite worked out."

When pressed on who would deputise for Southee, Hesson added: "We've got plenty of time and it's nice to have a couple of very good options.

"Matt did very well in the last Test match he played against South Africa and Lockie is probably bowling as well as he ever has.

"It depends whether we want to go with extra pace or we think it might nip around a little bit and we want someone with Matt's control. It'll be a tough decision but both are going nicely."

Southee has made 57 appearances for the Black Caps in the longest format, taking 204 wickets to sit fifth on the country's all-time list.