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The first Test between England and New Zealand ended in a draw with Day 3 being washed out due to rain. However, the Kiwis missed the services of their pace spearhead Trent Boult in the 1st game of the two-match Test series. The left-arm seamer had returned to New Zealand to spend some quality time with his family after the postponement of IPL on May 4, instead of traveling with the UK-bound New Zealand players to England.
This led the pacer to miss New Zealand’s first Test against England. However, Boult arrived in UK last week, when the Kiwis were playing at Lord’s and was undergoing his mandatory quarantine. Meanwhile, the UK government has relaxed quarantine protocols, following which the pacer is likely to come out of quarantine earlier than expected.
Trent Boult most likely to feature in the 2nd Test for New Zealand
Owing to UK government’s relaxation in protocols, the Kiwi ace pacer is likely to play the 2nd Test for New Zealand ahead of the WTC final. “There’s a chance. There are a few things that have changed, the British Government has relaxed their quarantine stipulations, so Trent is out of isolation three or four days earlier than we expected,” said NZ coach Gary Stead.
Gary further mentioned that as per their original plan, given the earlier information they had about the quarantine protocols, they weren’t going to play Boult for the 2nd Test. “We’ll weigh up the pros and cons and work out with Trent what we think is the best course forward to make sure he is fit and raring to go for that final,” the Blackcaps’ coach added.
If Boult is allowed to play the second Test, it will be good practice for the left-arm pacer ahead of the World Test Champion final against India, starting from June 18.
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