New Zealand’s captain for the T20I tour of Ireland, Mitchell Santner has been hit by the Covid-19. The Kiwis, who were dropped on Sunday, will not have an experienced spin bowling all-rounder as they begin the tour with the ODI leg of the series on July 10.
Shane Jurgensen, New Zealand’s head coach for the Ireland series, said Santner is in no rush, and his availability for the series will be determined only after he recovers from the infection and arrives in Dublin.
“Covid has been a challenge and will remain so in the future and we will adapt accordingly, contingencies are always there,” Jurgensen was quoted as saying by the ICC.
“He is feeling fine and the priority is to bring him to camp with us, hopefully later in the week to assess where he is and when he can be ready to play.
“We’ve got 11 games in three tours and one more tour against West Indies in August, which will involve Mitch, so we definitely don’t want to rush him.”
New Zealand have half the strength in the first place, with several players including Kane Williamson and Trent Boult ruled out of the series due to their welfare policy. The Kiwis are scheduled to travel to Scotland and the Netherlands after the start of the Ireland series.
New Zealand ODI team
Tom Latham, (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Dane Cleaver, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young
New Zealand T20I team
Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rippon, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner