Kane Williamson to miss second test against England; tests positive for Covid

Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, will miss the second Test against England, which begins on Friday at Trent Bridge, after testing positive for COVID-19.

Having tested positive for COVID-19 on the day of the match, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson would miss the second Test against England, which begins on Friday at Trent Bridge.

Williamson will be kept in quarantine for five days and will be substituted as captain by Tom Latham, according to New Zealand Cricket.

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“It’s such a shame for Kane to be forced to withdraw on the eve of such an important match. We’re all feeling for him at this time and know how disappointed he will be,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead stated.

Coach Gary Stead has revealed that Hamish Rutherford, an experienced opener who is currently playing in a domestic Twenty20 league in England, will join the team, with Tom Latham taking over as captain in Williamson’s absence.

The remaining of the team has received negative rapid antigen test results and will keep following the tournament’s health guidelines, which include symptom reporting and testing as needed.

With such a match-winning hundred by former captain Joe Root, England defeated New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s. Williamson’s team is struggling to keep the hope alive this week in Nottingham, and his unavailability is a setback to their chances of balancing the score.