New Zealand Cricketers May Travel To UK For WTC Final With Indian Players: NZ Union Chief Indicates

New Zealand’s players’ union chief has indicated that the country’s cricketers might travel with the Indian Cricket Team to England for the ICC World Test Championship final as they can’t go back home and then depart for England due to strict Covid protocols.

The likes of Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson are among the ten New Zealand players in different IPL franchises.

New Zealand has named a 20-member squad for the two-match Test series against England, starting June 02. The squad will then be trimmed to 15 for the World Test Championship final between June 18-22.

”….they can’t very well come home, do the two weeks isolation and then go to England, so they’re going to have to be there (India) until the round-robin finishes, or the final series,” NZ Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz.

Heath Mills added that New Zealand Cricket is in constant touch with the players, their IPL franchises, BCCI, ECB, and the ICC.

“Then we’ve got other players who are coming home – logistically there’s not a lot of flights. It’s not easy to sort out the logistics. We’re working closely with NZ Cricket and they’re in touch with the BCCI and the ICC,” he added.

He also added that while players are anxious due to the travel ban amid an unprecedented rise in the Covid cases in India but revealed that none of them have expressed their desire to leave the tournament midway and return home.

”There’s no doubt they’re certainly anxious about what is happening in India and what they’re witnessing,” Mills said. ”Whilst they’re anxious, they’re ok. No one has indicated yet that they want to go home,” he added.

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