NZ vs ENG, Test series: Martin Guptill roped in as a cover for Ross Taylor

Swashbuckling opener Martin Guptill got a call from the national selectors to remain as a cover for Ross Taylor for the first Test against England. Ross Taylor’s participation in the Test match is uncertain as of now and his thigh injury which he suffered during the 4th ODI against England kept everyone anxious about his appearance.

Digging in a little deep, Ross Taylor was suffering from a thigh injury during his marathon 181-run knock against the English. He nevertheless kept batting and helped his side register an unforgettable victory. The senior most player in the Kiwi set up currently managed to churn one of the finest knocks of his career and that came at the expense of an injury.

Much to the delight of their National selector Gavin Larsen, Taylor has been progressing well and is all set to take his place in the playing XI. England will provide a massive test of character and perseverance for the hosts and it’ll be interesting to see how the latter will fare after losing the ODI series 3-2 to the Three Lions.

Taylor will take part in training on Tuesday

Gavin Larsen also mentioned that Ross Taylor is expected to take full part in the training sessions tomorrow. The 34-year-old batsman from Lower Hutt is on course to becoming the leading run-scorer in the history of New Zealand cricket. He is currently ranked 3rd on that elite list and is 929 runs short of Stehen Fleming, who tops the charts.

“We opted for extra batting cover for that final spot and with Martin having been playing in the middle-order recently, he can cover a number of positions for us,” selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement.”Ross is progressing nicely and is expected to take a full part in training tomorrow.”

Although Guptill’s reputation as a limited overs cricketer glorified in the last few, people still doubt his credentials in the longest format. The seasoned batsman has played 47 Tests, compiling 2586 runs at an average of 29.38 but hasn’t played Test cricket for New Zealand since October 2016. He has also made just one appearance in the Plunket Shield this season.