IPL-Bound New Zealand Cricketers May Leave For UK From Maldives: Gary Stead
New Zealand
|| Indian Correspondent ||
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New Zealand head coach Gary Stead on Tuesday has said that the New Zealand cricketers, who had played in IPL 2021 and are currently staying in the Maldives, may leave for the United Kingdom this weekend as well.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner and Kyle Jamieson are currently in the Maldives after they left the mini bio-bubble in New Delhi after the suspension of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. However, they will play the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India. Along with them, physio Tommy Simsek and trainer Chris Donaldson will also travel to England from the Maldives.
Meanwhile, Gary Stead again shared that it was not clear whether they will have to undergo quarantine in the UK after reaching the country from the Maldives as well.
“I don’t know all the details right now. My understanding is that they are looking to leave (Maldives) somewhere around the time that we leave — May 15, 16 or 17 — in that time frame. My understanding is that the England board is still working through the final details of what it means to come through the Maldives as opposed to New Zealand,” Gary Stead was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“They can still work on their fitness. So I don’t see it as a bad thing. It’s an adapting world and I think that’s just something we’ve got to keep doing. Everyone has got their reasons around it. India changed very, very quickly, over the space of two or three days, and there were options put in front of the guys and he (Boult) felt for him and his mental health, the best thing he could do was get home for a while,” further added Stead.
“He is a professional, he has been there in the international circuit for a long time now. He will be ready. We are working through what build-up looks like to him and his readiness for the World Test Championship final when he comes back to us,” he concluded.
