New Zealand Cricket (NZC) today announced that Mark Gillespie will not travel to the West Indies to take part in the Test series after failing to recover from an ankle injury.

Gillespie suffered extensive bone bruising and ligament damage after severely spraining his ankle while running.

National Selection Manager Kim Littlejohn said: "Mark unfortunately has had to withdraw from the upcoming Test series against the West Indies having not responded to treatment in time to be fully fit.

"As a precautionary measure Mark feels that it would be the right decision to stay in Wellington to continue working on his rehabilitation."

A decision on who will replace Gillespie in the Test squad is yet to be made.