ENG vs NZ: Three members of New Zealand camp test positive for Covid-19

The New Zealand tour of England has not got the best start for the visitors as three members of the touring party tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, May 20, morning as they geared up for their match against the Sussex in Brighton. As a result, all three of them have been put in isolation.

After returning positive to the Rapid Antigen Tests, Henry Nicholls, Blair Tickner, and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen have undertaken a five-day hotel room isolation. The remaining members of the touring party tested negative and will be examined as and when needed. After taking all the precautionary measures, the four-day warm-up game will take place as scheduled.

New Zealand will face England in a three-match Test series starting June 02, 2022. While the first game will be hosted by the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, the second and third games will be hosted by Trent Bridge, Nottingham, and Headingly, Leeds, respectively.

England to be under new coach, new captain

As for England, the team has gone through a bunch of changes. As Rob Key took over the managerial post, he appointed Ben Stokes as the skipper of the Test side after Joe Root decided to step down. The team will play under a new skipper when they host the Black Caps.

Rob Key wanted to split the red-ball and white-ball duties, and thus the ECB appointed former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum as the English Test team’s head coach. Thus, the hosts will be walking into the game with a variety of changes. Notably, McCullum will be training the English team against his home team.

Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson went through a rough phase at the Indian Premier League 2022. He was not able to put up a big show and failed to impress with the bat. But coach Gary Stead backed the Kiwi skipper saying he will be back in once he gets into the groove of the red-ball cricket.