New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test against England to get some rest for his 'irritated' left-elbow, NZC confirmed. Tom Latham will be leading the side in his absence.
"It's not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it's the right one," New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. "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."
"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."
The right-handed batsman sustained an elbow injury during the first match against England at Lord’s and was being monitored by the medical team. The first match between the two sides ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport on Day 3 of the match.
Nevertheless, there were some brilliant individual performances from both sides. Devon Conway who made his Test debut for New Zealand in this match struck a fine double-century while fast bowler Tim Southee bagged a six-wicket haul in the first innings.
In reply, England opener Rory Burns notched up a ton and helped his team come out of a tricky situation during the course. Apart from Burns, another debutant in the match Ollie Robinson began his career with an impressive performance as he scaled seven wickets in two innings for England.
But Robinson has been suspended from the second Test against England after his racist and sexist posts that he had tweeted a few years back resurfaced on social media.
The second game is slated to take place in Birmingham from Thursday (June 10, 2021).