Out of isolation and into match
CRICKET
WELLINGTON: Almost half of the West Indies squad available for their first twenty20 international against New Zealand later this month will have been released from isolation only on the morning of the game, coach Phil Simmons has said.
A small group of West Indies players and management arrived in New Zealand on Friday after an exhausting 54hour journey from Barbados and were immediately placed in a mandatory 14day isolation.
The rest of the squad will not arrive until after their commitments to the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates end and will then be in isolation until the morning of the November 27 match.
‘‘It’s a little bit difficult,’’ Simmons told New Zealand Cricket’s website. ‘‘The main T20 guys are in isolation until the morning of the first game.
‘‘The plus is that they will be coming from a highquality tournament so they will be sharp.’’
The players who arrived on Friday will remain in isolation in Christchurch until today, when they will be able to train together in small groups at New Zealand Cricket’s highperformance centre.
Simmons added while it was less than an ideal buildup to the tour, which includes three twenty20 internationals and two tests, the team was getting used to the routine of isolation.
West Indies was the first team to embark on an international tour during the coronavirus pandemic when it played England in July.
However, Simmons said the pandemic had not really changed its planning for the defence of its Twenty20 World Cup title.
The tournament was supposed to have been played in Australia this year but was shifted to 2022. The next tournament is now in India in 2021.
‘‘We will continue with how we planned our preparations going forward,’’ Simmons said.
‘‘There were a few guys who weren’t in the team in Sri Lanka [in March] and they will be trying to push themselves into the final 15 for next year.’’ — Reuters