Star New Zealand player tested positive for Covid-19, might miss the last Test against England

The problems for the New Zealand team during their England tour don't seem to be ending. In a major blow to the visitors, Devon Conway has tested positive for COVID-19. Conway isn't the first player to be tested positive for the deadly disease. After landing in the United Kingdom, Henry Nicholls had tested positive as well. Ahead of the recently concluded second Test, skipper Kane Williamson also tested positive.

Meanwhile, alongside Conway, all-rounder Michael Bracewell, physio Vijay Vallabh, and strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson have also tested positive. The left-hander was with the team when he underwent testing. However, no other player apart from him tested positive. He will be in five-day isolation and it will be interesting to see if he plays the last game of the series. The game will start on June 23 in Leeds.

On the other hand, Vallabh, Donaldson, and Bracewell will travel to London separately. Notably, the Kiwis won't be asking for a replacement for Conway, possibly because they won't be playing any more games after the Leeds Test. The team has had a torrid time on the tour so far. They have lost both games after dominating for the most part. In the first game, they had taken four early wickets while defending 270-odd runs.

However, the likes of former England skipper Joe Root, current skipper Ben Stokes, and wicketkeeper batter contributed to the team's first win of the year. The last time they had won a Test match was against India last year in Headingly. The World Test Championship 2021 winners had scored 550-odd runs in the second game while batting first. However, the Three Lions retaliated well and kept the deficit to 14 runs.

In the second innings, the Tom Latham-led side set a target of 299 runs with 72 overs left on Day Five. The hosts chased down the target in 50 overs thanks to an explosive hundred from Jonny Bairstow and an unbeaten half century from Stokes.