Black Caps players and staff trying to get out of India and to the UK may have to wait a few more days.
The Black Caps wait during a break in play at the Bay Oval. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Around 18 New Zealanders were involved with this year's Indian Premier League, which had been postponed indefinitely due to increasing Covid-19 cases within the teams.
Eight of those, plus Australian physiotherapist Tommy Simsek, are trying to get to the UK for test matches against England and the World Test Championship final, or to play in the domestic T20 competition.
Eight England players returned to London overnight on Wednesday after rushing to Delhi from Ahmedabad to catch a flight to Heathrow
But New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills said organising something similar was not a straightforward process for the Kiwi players and Simsek.
"New Zealand Cricket are working with the English Cricket Board as hard as they can to get transfers in place between India and the UK but [they're being] restricted by government regulations on when non-citizens can get into the UK," Mills told First Up late on Wednesday.
"It's also the dynamics of having players in different cities and in different bubbles, where some teams have had Covid and some haven't."
Mills told CricInfo the Black Caps players and staff wouldn't be able to get into England until Tuesday next week.
Captain Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner, along with Simsek and strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson were due to link up with the rest of the test squad, while Jimmy Neesham, Lockie Ferguson and Finn Allen were set to play in the English T20 Blast.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Meanwhile, the wait also continued for those trying to get home to New Zealand after the IPL was brought to a halt.
Included in that group were players Adam Milne, Tim Seifert and Scott Kuggeleijn, coaches Brendon McCullum, Stephen Fleming, Mike Hesson, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills and James Pamment and umpire Chris Gaffaney.
All had vouchers for managed isolation in New Zealand and were free to return but Mills said securing flights home remained the difficult part of that equation.
"Hopefully some of that group coming back to New Zealand can get on charter flights in the next 24 to 48 hours.
"A couple of the [IPL] franchises are looking at charter planes for our coaches or players who are involved in those teams.
"Those who don't have that option will be looking to come through on commercial flights, potentially through Doha. All those logistics haven't quite been finalised yet."
