Fresh injury blow strikes luckless Kiwis

New Zealand's calamitous tour of Australia has ended on an appropriately low note with stand-in captain Tom Latham ruled out of cricket for a month with a fractured finger.

Latham damaged his right pinky finger when claiming the catch of Marnus Labuschagne in Australia's second innings.

It proved to be the tourists' final act in the field of the series whitewash as Australia declared at 2-217 on day four of the third and final Test in Sydney before winning the Test 47.5 overs later by 279 runs.

The 27-year-old put pain aside to open the batting but X-rays have since revealed damage that will rule him out of the five-match Twenty20 series at home to India next month.

Latham will target a return in the subsequent one-day and Test series against the Indians.

He isn't the only player facing a period of recuperation in the wake of a series marked by numerous injuries and illness to key Black Caps.

Strike bowler Trent Boult, who missed the first and third Tests with separate problems, is expected to return to the nets next week but the broken bone in his hand is "touch and go" to be ready for the Indian T20 series, coach Gary Stead said.

Fellow-pacemen Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are also targeting returns in early February.

Ferguson, who strained his right calf early in his Test debut in Perth, has begun running lightly while third-Test bowler Henry (broken thumb) needs about a month of recovery time.

Captain Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner all missed the third Test after being struck down with the flu in the lead-up.

"They will continue to be monitored as they slowly rebuild their strength and fitness," Stead said.

"I think everyone in the team is hurting and hurting a lot around it – we wanted to perform better than this and Australia didn't allow us to.

"I think there's no doubt the team has probably taken a bit of a confidence knock ... but we've got to go back and regroup, dress ourselves down a bit, have a look in the mirror and ask ourselves 'how do we get better?'

"No doubt about it, India are equally a strong team as well so the challenge that they'll bring will be big for us.

"We need to go back to thinking that we've played some very, very good Test series in New Zealand."

Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Michael Neser, Mitchell Swepson

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: Australia won by 296 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 247 runs

Third Test: Australia won by 279 runs