All-rounder Jimmy Neesham will skip New Zealand’s Twenty20 series against England to return home for the birth of his first child, the team said on Monday.

Neesham had been scheduled to stay on in Britain after taking part in The Hundred for the four-match series, which begins on Wednesday in Durham.

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Cole McConchie, who was supposed to go back to New Zealand after playing in the warm-up wins against Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, will replace Neesham in the squad.

“We fully support Jimmy’s decision to return home early,” coach Gary Stead said in a news release.

“The birth of a child is a special time and we are a family environment.”