Ken Williamson: New Zealand captain missed the second test against England with Covid | cricket news sky news

New Zealand captain Ken Williamson missed the second test against England at Trent Bridge after testing positive for Covid-19 the day before the match.

New Zealand said in a statement that Williamson had taken a rapid antigen test (RAT) after experiencing minor symptoms on Thursday and would now begin five days of self-isolation.

The rest of the tour returned with negative tests.

Hamish Rutherford will join the team on Friday morning, replacing Williamson and Tom Latham as captain.

“It’s a shame that Kane had to give up on the eve of such an important match,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said.

“We all feel him now and know how disappointed he is.

Hamish was with the Test team earlier in the round and played for the Leicestershire Foxes in the Vitality T20 Blast. »

Williamson’s absence would be a blow to New Zealand, as Will Young, Latham, Williamson and Devon Conway each failed to pass 15 in both legs in their first Test defeat to Lords.

Middle-ranked hitter Henry Nicholls could return to the Black Caps after missing his first Test due to Covid-19, but versatile bowler Colin de Grandhomme has already been disqualified from the rest of the series due to a heel injury he sustained on Third Day in the Lord.

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Speaking before a positive Covid-19 retest, New Williamson said his team was looking to improve their individual performance at Trent Bridge.

England unchanged | Leach succeeded, Stokes “good” for the pot

England chose an unchanged name XI for the second test, where Jack Leach became fit after suffering a concussion and Stokes declared he was “fine” bowling.

The Leach’s left-arm spinner pulled six overloads in the first test at Lords after suffering a hard fall on the boundary. His mandatory seven-day break expired on Thursday and he is fully involved in England training.

Stokes, who appeared to be polishing his team during Wednesday’s bowling practice, also ensured his fitness for the Trent Bridge test, confirming he would play a role with both the bat and the ball.

“All is well this morning,” Stokes said when asked about his fitness on Thursday. “Just a little harsh.”

He added that it was more of a precautionary measure than anything else, saying sky sport“She’ll probably be more reasonable in terms of training and things like that.

“Because obviously once you’re out and you cross that line, you want to do whatever you can to help win the England game.”

As for Leach, Stokes called calling the XI a “simple” decision, once he proved his fit.

“It is very unfortunate what happened to Lecce last week at Lourdes, but he has recovered well this week and it was very clear once we got the good news that he is fit to play.” , he stated.

Watch the LV=Second Lockdown Test between England and New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Friday.