Tim Southee in action at Cobham Oval on Waitangi Day, 2012, against Zimbabwe.
Northlander Tim Southee will play a single international one-day match against the West Indies and then stand down for a rest.
The good news for Northlanders is that the match is in Whangarei on Wednesday.
The opening ODI between the Black Caps and West Indies at Cobham Oval is looming as a crucial fixture for the two sides who have both struggled in the limited overs format recently.
New Zealand and West Indies have combined for one victory in their past 10 ODIs (New Zealand's six-wicket win over India the anomaly) so will be desperate for a fast start.
Southee will be hunting for a strong performance on his home track at Cobham Oval.
The Black Caps are coming off a resounding 2-0 test series win over the Caribbean side with the visitors rarely firing a shot.
Coach Mike Hesson however expects a completely different outfit in the coloured clothing.
"I think they're very separate.
"The test side will celebrate two professional performances. But the West Indies side is quite different in one-dayers.
"They have some real power players at the top of the order in Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis.
"Their performances in the past 12 months have certainly made us stand up and take notice."
Like New Zealand, the West Indies aren't in the best limited overs form. Their last series was a 4-0 loss to England.
However they have match winning batting talent in Gayle, Lewis and Marlon Samuels.
The inclusion of Gayle is an important one as he and Lewis will combine to form possibly the most destructive opening partnership in cricket.
They can also rely on captain Jason Holder. His numbers belie his talent, with averages of 25.34 with the bat and 33.62 with the ball you'd be forgiven if you didn't think he was a great player.
But Holder has been the glue of the side for several years now and is desperately unlucky with the ball, as evidenced by the first test at the Basin Reserve.
With him and Shannon Gabriel leading the quick bowling charge, things won't be easy for a New Zealand side preparing for a feast of limited overs fixtures in the 2017/18 summer.
Coach Hesson and selector Gavin Larsen have decided on a rest policy for Williamson and Southee, who will both play just the first ODI in the three match series ahead of a long summer.
Missing from the Black Caps squad, for the first ODI at least, are opening batsman Martin Guptill and all-rounders Mitchell Santner and Colin de Grandhomme.
Guptill is recovering from a hamstring strain and will miss the entire series, replaced by Central Districts batsman George Worker at the top of the order.
Worker has had recent success at Cobham Oval, hitting 96 against Northern Districts on December 7. He will form an opening partnership with Colin Munro.
Meanwhile Santner will miss the Whangarei fixture with a shoulder injury before returning for the second and third outings. His spot will be likely taken by leg-spinner Todd Astle.
De Grandhomme has no current timeline for his return as he has returned to Zimbabwe after the sudden death of his father. His spot has been taken by Doug Bracewell.
The all-rounder was coming into the series with good form, hitting a maiden century in the first test in Wellington.
When looking down the lists of both sides, there's a lot of potential for multiple crowd catches. With the Tui Catch a Million returning, one fan could win $50,000 by taking a one-handed grab.
Catchers must be wearing the new Tui shirt, which can be bought online or at the gates.
The game starts at 11am on Wednesday.
New Zealand ODI squad to play the West Indies: Kane Williamson (c, first ODI only), Tom Latham, George Worker, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom (second and third ODIs only), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner (second and third ODIs only), Todd Astle, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Tim Southee (first ODI only), Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell.
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Jason Mohammed, Ronsford Beaton, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Kesrick Williams.
Schedule:
Dec 20: First ODI, Whangarei
Dec 23: Second ODI, Christchurch
Dec 26: Third ODI, Christchurch