England team director Ashley Giles says England has no plans to “rush” its Indian Premier League stars back for next month’s Test series against New Zealand and could introduce new faces to cope with a packed schedule.
Among those currently serving quarantine periods are Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, all of whom have Test contracts with England.
They could be available for County Championship matches starting on May 20 before joining the England “bubble” ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, which begins on June 2.
“All these guys have had a number of spells in quarantine and bubbles. We need to look after them, with the amount of cricket they’ve got coming up. We’re not going to rush or force them back into cricket,” said Giles.
“Chris Silverwood will work with them, as will our medical teams on what’s best for their progress.”
