Fast bowler Southee and batsman Williamson will both make their 100th appearances at Hagley Oval in Christchurch with hosts New Zealand chasing a first Test win over Australia since 2011 to mark the occasion.
Seamer Mitchell Starc said Australia's bowlers aim to ensure New Zealand world-class batter Kane Williamson doesn't stay long at the crease on his 100th Test appearance.
The Black Caps hadn't beaten the Proteas in 17 previous Test series dating back to 1931, having lost 13 and drawn four.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson made headlines with his 31st Test century as the Kiwis took complete control of the first Test on Day Three against a depleted South Africa in Mount Maunganui yesterday.
Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson ground out unbeaten centuries as New Zealand punished a second-string South Africa on the opening day of the first Test at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Williamson added that New Zealand, who have never won a Test series against South Africa, will focus on playing their brand of cricket to gain crucial WTC points.
Star batters Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra were named Friday in the New Zealand squad for the two-match home Test series, starting next week, against an inexperienced South Africa side.
Williamson was already set to miss the third game on Wednesday, and with the first Test against South Africa less than three weeks away, Stead said his star batsman would probably sit out the final two games as well.
World class batter Williamson missed last month's ODI and T20 series against Bangladesh while he rehabilitated a knee injury sustained nine months ago.
Despite having finished second in the last two ICC World Cups, New Zealand cricketers still long for the deserving attention from their home fans. In Bangladesh, though, fans prepare themselves to experience a downpour of emotions whenever the Tigers are in action.
Williamson had ruptured his ACL in March this year during the opening match of the 15th Indian Premier League (IPL) and had to undergo a knee surgery.
Defending champions England and New Zealand, the two finalists of a blockbuster 2019 World Cup, are having to deal with injury issues as they prepare to take the field in the 2023 World Cup opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today.
Named player of the 2019 World Cup, Williamson handled defeat in the final with remarkable grace as England snatched the trophy away from New Zealand in the cruellest of manners
New Zealand are banking on golden generation trio Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult having one last hurrah as they look to finally snare a limited-overs World Cup trophy after so many near misses.
The 33-year-old would play both their warm-up matches in Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram but will skip the tournament opener in Ahmedabad, the team said in a statement.
Less than six months after knee surgery threatened to rule him out of next month's ODI World Cup, the goal of captaining New Zealand in India has been the key driver in getting Kane Williamson through his recovery.
Williamson will captain the Black Caps despite still working his way back to fitness after a serious knee injury last April.
Williamson has scored more than 6,500 runs in one-day international cricket and led New Zealand in their nail-biting defeat by England in the 2019 World Cup final.
The batsman tore the cruciate ligaments in his right knee playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in April