Red list leads to RED ALERT
Black Caps and India in danger of being without stars because of UK Covid caution
The Black Caps could be without four of their best players for the side’s test cricket series against England after the United Kingdom yesterday added India to a “red list” of countries from which most travel is banned.
Although elite sportspeople and support staff have an exemption that allows them to travel to the UK from an otherwise banned red-list country, they still require a 10-day stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel on arrival, with no special dispensation to leave for training or to compete.
That leaves likely test starters Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner — all competing in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) — in doubt for the series-opening match at Lord’s on June 2.
New Zealand were already planning to be without any players whose teams reached the IPL knockout stages, but with the group stage ending on May 23 — 10 days before the first test — this new development would rule them all out.
Another fixture that could be hit by the red list is the inaugural World Test Championship final between the Black Caps and India in Southampton from June 18.
India has seen a surge in Covid19 cases recently — with a staggering 256,947 infections reported on Monday. The country has had more than 15 million cases since the start of the pandemic and more than 180,000 deaths.
However, Black Caps captain Kane Williamson is remaining optimistic about the chances of playing against England and India in June, saying the situation was fluid.
“I don’t think we’re guaranteed to miss it. I think it’s a little bit dependent on how things unfold here,” Williamson told Newstalk ZB yesterday.
“It doesn’t sit comfortably, but I think in these unique times, you sort of have to keep an open mind.”
A factor in favour of the World Test Championship final going ahead is Southampton’s Rose Bowl ground and on-site hotel are capable of functioning under a fully bio-secure set-up.
According to the Guardian, the England Cricket Board (ECB) director of events Steve Elworthy is in talks with the UK Government about the potential for the fixture to receive classification as an “event of national significance” that would allow some flexibility over logistics.
An ECB spokesperson told the Guardian: “We are discussing with Government the impact of countries being on the red list. By working collaboratively, we demonstrated how we can stage international cricket safely in the middle of a pandemic and hope to do so again this year.”
The International Cricket Council also released a statement saying it expected the event to go ahead as planned.
However, the England v New Zealand series that begins the tour — first at Lord’s and then Edgbaston — involves teams staying in hotels offsite and could likely lead to players on both sides being ruled out unless additional exemptions are granted.
England players competing in the IPL are Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Moeen Ali.
The loss of these top players, along with the recent injury to Ben Stokes, would leave the home side scrambling for replacements and facing a similarly depleted Black Caps team that may need to think about flying in a larger squad as a contingency.