(UTV | NEW ZEALAND) – New Zealand received an injury scare ahead of their departure to the UK for the three-Test tour of England as Henry Nicholls picked up a calf injury at training.
The team is scheduled to depart for the UK in two groups on Saturday and Sunday and at a pre-tour camp in Mt Maunganui coach Gary Stead revealed the middle-order batter had suffered the injury to his right leg when going through some running drills on Monday.
“He’s having an MRI scan later today, so we’ll know more after that as to the extent of it,” Stead said on Tuesday.
“But he’s got it strapped up and I guess the next 24 to 48 hours will give us an indication of how serious that is.”
Nicholls has emerged as a key member of New Zealand’s middle-order and averages 40.38 after 46 Tests with eight hundreds, one of them coming in the team’s last series against South Africa.
If he were to be ruled out, New Zealand will have to scramble a back-up option for the middle-order.
The opening Test of the Black Caps’ assignment in the UK will begin on June 2 at the Lord’s with further Tests scheduled at Trent Bridge and Headingley.
New Zealand, languishing at sixth in the World Test Championship standings, start their tour next Friday with a four-day warm-up match against Sussex, with another four-day fixture against a First Class Counties Select XI following from May 26.
Meanwhile, New Zealand announced an extended coaching group for the winter tours in-keeping with the measures adopted last year to keep the coaches fresh for assignments with the Black Caps scheduled to be on the road until the tour of West Indies in August.
Dion Ebrahim, the former Zimbabwe batter and current coach of Otago, will join Stead, Shane Jurgensen (lead bowling coach) and Luke Ronchi (lead batting coach) for the Test tour of England.
Former England cricketer Luke Wright will join the coaching staff for the white-ball tours of Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands.
Jurgensen will serve as the head coach on the tour to Ireland and will be joined by Luke Ronchi and Wright.
Jurgensen and Ronchi will depart for home following that series with Stead returning along with the pair of Dean Brownlie (batting) and Graeme Aldridge (bowling) assisting him for the series in Scotland, Netherlands and the West Indies.
“A key lesson from last year’s Covid-enforced schedules was the importance of keeping not just our players fresh, but also our staff,” Stead said in a statement.
“We’ve got 14 weeks of non-stop cricket ahead in all three formats and across four countries – along with a T20 World Cup also looming in Australia in October.”
”We need to ensure our coaches are at the top of their games throughout that period, and able to create an environment in which the team can continue to improve and thrive.”
“The fourth coach is a role we’ve used in the past for away tours, with the likes of Luke Ronchi, Tilan Samaweera, Heinrich Malan, Shane Bond, and Jimmy Pamment.”
”Along with the practicality of having an extra set of hands, it’s also a way of introducing different voices and skills to the group, as well as giving the fourth coaches themselves an opportunity to learn and develop.”
“Dion is a promising new head coach on the domestic scene. I’m sure he will get plenty out of touring with the Black Caps. Luke will offer in-depth knowledge of the conditions in the UK and his vast experiences in T20 cricket all around the world.”