On the morning of the squad’s first tour match in England, against Sussex in Brighton, three members of New Zealand traveling party tested positive for Covid-19.

The trio of Henry Nicholls, Blair Tickner, and Shane Jurgensen had positive tests on Friday morning, ahead of the first day of play in the English southern seaside city, and have commenced a five-day required isolation time in their respective hotel rooms.

Nicholls had previously been ruled out of the game after suffering a calf strain at a training camp earlier this month.

The middle-order hitter is undergoing rehab in the hopes of being fit for the first Test, and a five-day seclusion spell is unlikely to help him recuperate.

Blair Tickner, medium-pacer, has yet to play for New Zealand in the lengthier version of the game, despite earning two One Day International caps and eight T20I matches for his country.

Since 2016, bowling coach Jurgensen has been an integral component of the Black Caps’ setup.

New Zealand Cricket has issued an official statement confirming that the rest of the squad has all returned negative tests and will play the four-day match as scheduled, with more frequent testing planned throughout the tour.

A second warm-up match against a select county XI is set for later this month at the County Ground in Chelmsford.

The defending World Test Champions are gearing up for a three-match series against England, which kicks off on June 2 at Lord’s and includes games at Trent Bridge and Headingley.

After the Test series, the Black Caps will stay in Europe for white-ball matches in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, extending the tour into August.