Williamson ruled out of second test against England
In a blow for New Zealand, their captain Kane Williamson has
been ruled out of the second and final test match against England with an elbow
injury.
Williamson has battled with an elbow problem for a while and given that the Black Caps will face India in the inaugural ICC Test Championship final from 18 June, they aren’t taking any chances.
"The decision has been made very much with the ICC World Test Championship final at Southampton in mind and we are confident he will be ready for that match starting on June 18,” coach Gary Stead said in a statement via AFP.
"He's had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he's been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery."
"It's not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it's the right one."
The second test match starts at Edgbaston on Thursday and opening batsman Tom Latham will take over the captaincy for the showdown. The match will decide the two-test series after the first match at Lords ended in a draw.
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Sandtner will also miss the test match after he cut his finger but the Black Caps will welcome back star bowler Trent Boult who will play his first part in the series after a break following the suspension of the IPL.
Top order batsman Will Young is expected to replace the captain in the side and will be coming off the back of four County Championship matches for Durham where he finished with two centuries in his final three innings.
It's expected that Edgbaston will welcome back 18 000 fans a day over the five days of the test match. This comes after a very limited number of fans were able to attend the first test at Lords last week.
