Ross Taylor gives New Zealand injury scare ahead of England tour
Ross Taylor has limped out of New Zealand's first training session ahead of their England tour with a calf injury.
Starting June 2, New Zealand will face hosts England in a two-match Test series in the build-up to the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India.
Ross Taylor has been an integral part of the New Zealand set-up over the years, and the team is hoping that he recovers fully over the next couple of weeks.
The New Zealand squad will be training at the high-performance center in Lincoln during this duration for the all-important series.
"You are always worried when any injuries happen but someone of Ross's standing and caliber as a Test player you always have a little bit of a concern. Fingers crossed everything is good and we still have time on our side, but we'll just have to wait and see what the medical team say," New Zealand's head coach Gary Stead said.
"The reports I've had so far is it's more precautionary than anything but we'll see how he scrubs up," he added.
Gary Stead hints that Ross Taylor would be on the flight to England even if he doesn't recover fully
Ross Taylor has been troubled by various injuries over the last few months. Earlier this year, he didn't feature in two ODIs against Bangladesh at home due to a hamstring niggle.
New Zealand will likely miss the services of captain Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, and Mitchell Santner for the first Test as IPL 2021 ends on May 30, and there are strict quarantine rules in place in the UK.
Losing Ross Taylor as well would be a massive blow for the team. Hence, Gary Stead hinted that he'd travel to England even if he doesn't recover fully.
"Ross has a great Test record behind and we want him in our team," Gary Stead said.
Also, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has ensured that all the players have had their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They will be taking the second dose before departing for England.