New Zealand's Mitchell Santner set to miss Tests against Ireland and England

Santner returned home early from the Indian Premier League where was playing for the Mumbai Indians, and a New Zealand statement said the 34-year-old would out of action for "at least a month".

"The diagnosis means Santner is unavailable for the one-off Test against Ireland [in late May] and the first Test against England (at Lord's in early June), with his availability for the second and third Tests to be evaluated at a later date," NZC said.

The New Zealand squad for the Ireland and England Test series will be named "in the coming days".

Santner, New Zealand's white-ball captain, led the Black Caps to the T20 World Cup final earlier this year before losing to co-hosts India.

He then made four appearances for Mumbai Indians in the IPL when a shoulder injury struck him down with Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj called up as a replacement.

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