Windies have third negative COVID-19 test
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND (CMC):
NEW ZEALAND Cricket (NZC), the governing body for the sport in the country, said yesterday that the third and final round of COVID-19 tests, which West Indies players took this week, have all returned negative.
This will allow players and support staff greater freedom of movement to train and prepare for their series of three Twenty20 (T20) Internationals and two Tests against the Black Caps, and the ability to freely leave the isolation facility and mix with the general population.
The outcome of the tests have come into sharp focus after New Zealand health officials prevented the Windies from training on Wednesday because members of the squad had “contravened” strict COVID-19-managed isolation protocols.
There was no indication that any of the members of the squad left or had contact with anyone outside of the managed isolation facility in which they had been confined since arriving in the country almost two weeks ago.
ISOLATION FACILITY
But New Zealand health officials said the team had been given certain exemptions from the strict rules of managed isolation in place in the country and they had violated them.
The players and support staff are scheduled to leave the managed isolation facility today and travel to the southern island city of Queenstown, where they will play a three-day match and a four-day match against New Zealand ‘A’ at the John Davies Oval.
Nine other Windies players who took part in the Indian Premier League, including Test captain Jason Holder and T20 captain Kieron Pollard, arrived in Auckland on Wednesday from Dubai.
NZC said they have all passed initial health checks and processing and were cleared to board a charter flight to Christchurch, ahead of them beginning a 14-day period of managed isolation.
The nine players will end their period of managed isolation one day before the Windies meet the Black Caps in the first T20 on November 27 at Eden Park in Auckland.