12 Nov 2020

Windies cricketers clear to leave isolation

4:36 pm on 12 November 2020

The side is due to leave managed isolation in Christchurch tomorrow and travel to Queenstown, where they'll play two games against New Zealand A before the first of three T20 games against the Black Caps.

The West Indies were banned from training in the final few days of their isolation period after several players breached the protocols at their Christchurch hotel by sharing food and socialising.

The West Indies coach Phil Simmons labelled the breach as "embarrassing."

Simmons has apologised to New Zealand health officials after several of his players breached the protocols at their Christchurch hotel by sharing food and socialising.

The West Indies team had been allowed to train in small groups while undergoing a mandatory 14-day isolation, but the Ministry of Health revoked that privilege on Wednesday after they discovered players had shared food and socialised together.

"I have to apologise to the New Zealand public and the government who have allowed us to come here," Simmons told Newshub.

"It's embarrassing from our point of view."

West Indies coach Phil Simmons gives his players catching practice during warm up on the second day of the first Test cricket match against England at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on July 9, 2020.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons. Photo: AFP

Simmons said the players would be subject to internal sanctions and the team would be scrabbling to get up to speed having had their training privileges removed.

They have lost a total of four days training because of the breaches.

"We were just getting to the levels that we would normally start at, but coming from no cricket, we had to start slower," he said.

"Hopefully everybody tests negative and then we can move to Queenstown and ramp it up as quickly as possible because later in the week we have a training game."

West Indies face New Zealand in the first of three Twenty20 internationals in Auckland on 27 November before the two-test series starts on 3 December.

Meanwhile the ten Black Caps and nine Windies players who competed in the Indian Premier League have arrived from Dubai to start their 14-day period of managed isolation in Christchurch.

-RNZ/Reuters