West Indies Will Play T20I And Test Series, Starting November 27:
After clearing the first health test on arrival in New Zealand ahead of their T20I and Test series, beginning November 27, West Indies have started a two-week quarantine here.
Apart from the players involved in the ongoing Indian Premier League in the UAE, all of the squad members gathered in Barbados on Tuesday. Following the IPL, test skipper Jason Holder and T20 captain Kieron Pollard will be joining their teammates.
The players flew to London from Barbados, followed by Dubai, until the party touched down in Auckland. They then made a brief trip to Christchurch, where they would be quarantined before training begins.
“The touring party for the West Indies arrived at Christchurch Airport in NZ. This marks the final stop on their 54-hour Caribbean journey! # MenInMaroon # TeamWI, “tweeted Windies Cricket.
“On arrival in New Zealand, all squad members have passed the first health test and will be quarantined before training starts,” it said.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the West Indies became the first team to tour two separate countries. Earlier this year, they travelled to England, marking the resumption of international cricket after the long pandemic-forced break.
Six reserve players have travelled with the Test squad to train to ensure that substitutes are available in the event of any injury and will form a ‘A’ team along with other T20I squad members to play two four-day matches with the Test team at the same time, “Windies Cricket said on their website.”
The players will be allowed to train after day four of their quarantine period. The squad here will be able to step out after their quarantine time, unlike the England tour, where the players were confined to a bio-secure bubble.
The T20 series is scheduled to start in Auckland on November 27, followed by games at Mount Maunganui on 29 and 30. The experiments are planned at Seddon Park in Hamilton for December 3-7 and at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from December 11-15.
