New Zealand vs England 2018: Mike Hesson Hopeful Of Taylor Being Fit For First Test
Updated - 11 Mar 2018, 02:05 PM
Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s Head Coach, is hopeful of Ross Taylor being fit for the first Test against England.
The right-handed batsman missed the fifth ODI as he failed to recover from the thigh injury.
“We’re not going to force it too soon to make sure he’s ready for the first Test. We know how to work with Ross, in terms of what he needs to prepare for the test match. We certainly won’t put his position at risk by pushing it too hard, too soon,” Hesson said.
Taylor also missed the third ODI of the series due to a quad strain.
He recovered for the fourth ODI and led New Zealand to an emphatic win by playing an innings of 181*.
During his innings, he dived to make his ground, further aggravating the injury.
He batted in the fourth ODI enduring number of pains and finally saw Kiwis keeping the series alive.
Taylor seemed to be fit for the decider but failed to be 100% and missed the fifth ODI.
This also caused doubts over his participation in the first Test, but Hesson is hopeful of Taylor being fit.
He has been named in the Martin Guptill led New Zealand XI squad, that will play a two-day red ball game against England before the start of the Test series.
Taylor’s participation in the practice game is in doubt.
Should he play the game, it will be a big relief for New Zealand while a miss can cause few worries for Kiwis.
The Test between New Zealand and England starts on March 22.
Eden Park, Auckland will host the first game from March 22 to 26.
The second and the final game of the series will be played from March 30 to April 3 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
New Zealand lost the ODI series by a margin of 3-2.
In the T20I tri-series, New Zealand though played qualified for the final but failed to win the series.
Both England and New Zealand could just win one out of four games they played in the tri-series.
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