Keegan Petersen, who was impressive in the series against India, has been ruled out of the two-Test tour of New Zealand after testing positive for coronavirus while Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson is also in doubt.
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Keegan Petersen, who impressed in the Test series win against India for South Africa, has been ruled out of the two-Test series against New Zealand. Petersen has tested positive for the coronavirus and he has been replaced in the squad by Zubayr Hamza. According to a statement by Cricket South Africa, Keegan Petersen is ‘asymptomatic’ and ‘doing well’. South Africa will depart for New Zealand on February 2 and will be in a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The two-Test series begins on February 17 and will end on March 1. Both matches will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Keegan Petersen was the star in South Africa’s epic come-from-behind win against India in the recent three-Test series. After losing the first Test by 113 runs in Centurion, South Africa bounced back. They won the Johannesburg and Cape Town Tests by seven wickets. Petersen had scores of 72,82 and 62 in three innings, ending with 276 runs at an average of 46. It was Petersen’s twin fifties in Cape Town that dented India’s hopes of winning a Test series in South Africa for the first time.
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However, in a major blow to New Zealand, they are reportedly set to miss Kane Williamson for the two-Test series. According to a report by Stuff.co.nz, Kane Williamson has still not recovered from an elbow injury. After playing one Test against India in Kanpur in 2021, Williamson missed the Mumbai Test. He also missed the series against Bangladesh.
The report in Stuff.co.nz stated that the South Africa Tests might be too early to push Kane Williamson back into action. “New Zealand Cricket would continue to take a cautious approach, wanting to slowly ease him along with his recovery to ensure there are no setbacks. It’s understood the two Tests may provide too taxing a workload for the 31-year-old at this stage and potentially risk his fitness for the rest of a busy year for the Black Caps, which includes a three-Test series away to England in June and the Twenty20 World Cup starting in Australia in October,” the report said.
The two Tests were initially slated to be played in Christchurch and Wellington. However, with the coronavirus pandemic causing havoc, the venues have changed. New Zealand has over 1100 active cases so far.
New Zealand will host both the Tests at the Hagley Oval. It is a venue where they have not lost a Test match since 2016. South Africa, on the other hand, has never lost a Test series against New Zealand. The series against South Africa will be the first after the retirement of Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s most successful player. The squad might be announced later in the week, with Tom Latham continuing to lead the side.
