(UTV | NEW ZEALAND) – England’s Indian Premier League players are unlikely to take part in next month’s Test against New Zealand.
Those returning from the postponed IPL, including Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Moeen Ali, will not be rushed back after their mandatory 10-day isolation period.
That quarantine period expires this weekend, little over two weeks before the first Test at Lord’s.
The first Test against the Black Caps begins on 2 June.
The timeline is considered too tight for the returning players, meaning calls up are expected for the likes of Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton and James Bracey.
Meanwhile, head coach Chris Silverwood has stepped back from the one-day side for this summer, leaving Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood in charge as England contest seven Tests and 12 white-ball internationals between June and mid-September.
“I’ll be passing the reins on for the ODI series. It’s not fair on the players if I am operating at less than 100% and it is not fair on myself either,” Silverwood said.
“It’s just important that we keep our personnel as fresh as possible. You saw that during the winter that we tried to do that with our players, to the best of our ability, and it’s equally important that we do that with the staff. It’s important we look after each other.”