Sonam Kapoor Maternity Photoshoot Troll
Angelina Jolie to direct ‘Without Blood’ starring Salma Hayek, Demian Bichir
Angelina Jolie is set to wear multiple hats for her upcoming film ‘Without Blood’ as she will write, direct and produce the feature which stars Salma Hayek Pinault and Demian Bichir, reports Variety.
Jolie is making the film with super-indie Fremantle, with which she struck a three-year international filmmaking agreement in March. ‘Variety’ further states that the principal photography of the film already has begun in the Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
The film, Angelina’s fifth directorial, is based on the internationally bestselling novel of the same name by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco and set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict. It’s billed as exploring “universal truths about war, trauma, memory, and healing.” Hayek Pinault and Bichir will star alongside an international cast and production team.
Talking about her film Angelina Jolie said in a statement accessed by ‘Variety’, “I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film and to have been entrusted by Alessandro Baricco with the adaptation of his book – with its unique poetry and emotion and way of looking at war, and the questions it poses about what we search for after trauma or loss or injustice.”
The film is produced by Fremantle; Jolie’s production banner Jolie Productions; Fremantle-backed The Apartment Pictures, founded by Lorenzo Mieli; and De Maio Entertainment, founded by Lorenzo De Maio. The pic will be distributed worldwide by Fremantle.
Pawan Kalyan: Nani has admirers in my house as well
Nani’s ‘Ante Sundaraniki’ had a spectacular pre-release celebration in Hyderabad and it was a lavish occasion.
‘Badri’ actor Pawan Kalyan was present during the ceremony as the chief guest late on Thursday night.
Pawan Kalyan, who spoke on the occasion, said Nani has admirers even in his home, indicating that his movies are loved by the family audience.
“I hold Nani in high regard. He is a firm believer in the decisions he makes. He’s also a talented actor. He has admirers in my home as well. My sister, in fact, was extremely excited to see one of his recent flicks in theatres,” Pawan remarked.
Pawan Kalyan also conveyed his best wishes to the entire team of ‘Ante Sundaraniki’, starring Nani and Nazriya in the lead roles.
What’s cooking? Makers mulling over the title for Balakrishna-Anil Ravipudi film
Nandamuri Balakrishna is going to star in a big-budget action drama directed by Anil Ravipudi. The film’s pre-production is also in full swing, and a peculiar title is being considered for the same.
The film’s announcement, as well as the title, will be made officially on Balakrishna’s birthday on Friday. According to online sources, the title ‘Bro I Don’t Care’, is being considered by the makers, for this movie.
If this title is chosen, it is a quirky one, as such odd titles have never been used previously for Balakrishna’s films.
Billed as a unique story with an action-packed narrative, Anil Ravipudi is looking forward to beginning the shoot with the ‘Akhanda’ actor.
On the other hand, Balakrishna will be seen in a movie tentatively titled ‘NBK107’, which is being directed by ‘Krack’ fame Gopichand Mallineni.
T’gana BJP leader arrested for derogatory skit against KCR
Telangana Police on Friday arrested state BJP leader Jitta Balakrishna Reddy for insulting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao by organizing a skit.
Police arrested him from Ghatkesar toll plaza near Hyderabad in the early hours of the day. A court in the Rangareddy district later granted him bail.
Police said the BJP leader was arrested for indulging in hate speech and inciting hatred and causing provocation for violence through an event organized by the cultural team of the BJP on Telangana Formation Day (June 2).
On a complaint by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) social media convenor Y. Satish Reddy, police booked Balakrishna Reddy, state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay and others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 114 (abettor present when the offense is committed), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505(2) (statements causing public mischief, promoting enmity) read with 109.
A case was registered against them at the Hayathnagar Police Station under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate.
The complainant had alleged that the organizers misused the platform to defame the government schemes with false accusations of the CM and the government with an intention to mislead the people and provoke hatred and unrest.
According to police, under the leadership of state BJP president Bandi Sanjay and organizers, Jitta Balakrishna Reddy and Rani Rudrama organized an event in view of Telangana Formation Day and ‘misused the dais for performing a skit (hate act)’ with the help of the BJP cultural team member Boddu Yellanna alias Daruvu Yellanna by insulting a person who is holding a constitutional post being democratically elected by the people of the state. The skit was telecast on a Telugu TV news channel.
A case was registered against Bandi Sanjay, Balakrishna Reddy, Rani Rudramma, Boddu Yellanna, and his team.
On examining the video, police found that the organizers made ‘derogatory comments, personal attacks depicting the chief minister as a boozer, cheater, etc., to lower the image of a person elected by democratic means and holding a constitutional post’.
The police also recovered the ‘chief minister’s face mask’, a liquor bottle, and Flexi of Telangana Formation Day.
Meanwhile, Bandi Sanjay condemned the midnight arrest of Balakrishna Reddy. He alleged that the TRS government was trying to create an atmosphere of fear by resorting to ‘undemocratic means’.
Woman raped in Delhi hotel by Hyd man she met on dating app
A 28-year-old woman was allegedly raped at a five-star hotel in the national capital whom she had met on a dating app, an official said on Friday.
According to the official, a case was registered on June 3 based on the woman’s complaint in which the victim alleged that she was raped by a man at a hotel in the Dwarka area of Delhi on May 30.
“The victim woman, who used to work in a shop, alleged that she met the accused through Tinder (dating app),” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Dwarka) M. Harsha Vardhan said.
The accused, who is a resident of Hyderabad, did not pick up her calls after allegedly committing the crime.
“Thus, based on her complaint, a case was registered. Efforts are on to nab the accused,” the senior official added.
NASA creates a research team to study UFO sightings
NASA on Friday announced that it is commissioning an independent study team to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), the updated term now used to refer to “unidentified flying object” (UFO).
The agency defined UAPs as observations of events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena. It emphasized that the nine-month-long study will be from a scientific perspective and that “there is no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial in origin”.
“NASA believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a statement.
The limited number of observations of UAPs currently makes it difficult to draw scientific conclusions about the nature of such events, the agency said. Thus, the study will focus on identifying available data, how best to collect future data, and how NASA can use that data to move the scientific understanding of UAPs forward.
“We have access to a broad range of observations of Earth from space — and that is the lifeblood of scientific inquiry. We have the tools and team who can help us improve our understanding of the unknown. That’s the very definition of what science is. That’s what we do,” Zurbuchen said.
Unidentified phenomena in the atmosphere are of interest for both national security and air safety. Establishing which events are natural provides a key first step to identifying or mitigating such phenomena, which aligns with one of NASA’s goals to ensure the safety of aircraft.
While NASA is coordinating across the government regarding how to apply the tools of science to shed light on the nature and origin of unidentified aerial phenomena, it will not be part of the Department of Defense’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force or its successor, the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronisation Group.
“Given the paucity of observations, our first task is simply to gather the most robust set of data that we can,” said astrophysicist David Spergel, who will lead the independent study team.
“We will be identifying what data — from civilians, government, non-profits, companies — exists, what else we should try to collect, and how to best analyze it,” he added.
Priyanka shares a throwback bikini photo, hubby Nick finds it hot
Indian actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas shared a 22-year-old gorgeous picture of herself dressed in a bikini on social media.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared the image when she was just 18-years-old. The photographs seem to be from her early modeling days.
In the picture, the ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ star is seen looking drop-dead-gorgeous wearing a brown bikini, a bind, and bangles.
Sharing the picture she wrote, “Circa November 2000. Presenting my 18 yr old “smolder”: Patrick Durand (sic).”
After sharing the picture, Priyanka’s husband Nick Jonas was impressed and dropped a fire emoji in the comment section.
In other news, the Indian actress welcomed her first child with her American pop star husband Nick Jonas via surrogacy earlier this year. The couple has named their baby girl Malti Marie.
On the work front, Priyanka will next be seen in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Jee Le Zaraa’. She is also a part of the upcoming web series ‘Citadel’.
Ranveer Singh to taste wilderness in ‘Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls’
‘Gully Boy’ star Ranveer Singh, a self-confessed city-slicker, is all set to get a taste of the wilderness along with Bear Grylls for India’s first interactive adventure reality special titled ‘Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls’, the teaser of which was unveiled on Friday.
The teaser shows the actor taking off on a thrilling date with nature, fending for himself, and learning new survival skills as he ventures into the depths of the wild to find a rare flower for his lady love in the harsh forests of Serbia.
The streaming special, which will be available on Netflix, has been produced by Banijay Asia in association with The Natural Studios.
Monika Shergill, VP-Content, Netflix India, said in a statement, “We are excited to take audiences on the ultimate adventure with the high octane and unstoppable Ranveer Singh and the world’s best survival expert, Bear Grylls in ‘Ranveer vs Wild. with Bear Grylls’.”
“Netflix brings India’s first-ever interactive adventure special that will give audiences all over the world the controls to test Ranveer Singh, as he pushes his boundaries in this adrenaline-pumping experience of a lifetime,” she further said in her statement.
‘Ranveer VS Wild with Bear Grylls’ will premiere on July 8 on the streaming platform Netflix.
Bihar Minister records statement in a defamation case filed against Rahul
In a criminal defamation suit filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the statement of Nitin Navin, the road construction minister of Bihar, was registered in the MLA-MLC court here on Friday.
The criminal defamation case was filed by former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi in the MLA-MLC court on April 12 this year in Patna.
S.D. Sanjay, senior lawyer and former solicitor general of Bihar told IANS that the statement of Bihar BJP leader Sanjiv Chaurasia has already been registered in the MLA-MLC court on April 12 and BJYM leader Manish Kumar on April 22.
“Apart from Sanjiv Chaurasia and Manish Kumar, Nitin Navin is the key witness of this case. Now, the statement of Sushil Modi is remaining and his statement will be recorded at the next hearing,” Sanjay said.
During the hearing of the case on Friday, complainant Sushil Kumar Modi was accompanied by a team of lawyers — S.D. Sanjay, Subodh Jha, Arjun Kumar, Ratnesh Kumar, and Priya Gupta — were present in the court.
Sushil Modi, in a complaint case number 1551(C) of 2019 leveled allegations against Rahul Gandhi for his poll speech in Karnataka where he said that all Modis are thieves.
Rahul Gandhi, during the public meeting in Kolar district in Karnataka, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed demonetization in the country and put entire countrymen in the queues at banks.
“He (Narendra Modi) has partially restricted the money of common people to withdraw from banks and the money of common people would be given to his 15 friends,” Rahul Gandhi said in his speech.
“There is a group of thieves. They have a team. They are taking money from your pockets, snatching the money from farmers, and small traders, and giving it to those 15 friends. PM Narendra Modi is saying to you people that it is a fight against black money. He put you in the queues of banks, taking the money from your pockets and depositing into the banks and then you learn about your money being taken away by Nirav Modi who fled from the country with Rs 35,000 crore,” Gandhi said at that time.
“There is a long list of names apart from Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi is the other name, Lalit Modi. Now, I want to ask a small question. Why do all thieves have the names Modi-Modi-Modi. Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi and if we search more, we will get some more Modi,” Gandhi said.
Based on the speech of Rahul Gandhi in Kolar on April 13, 2019, Sushil Modi, the BJP Rajya Sabha MP believes that it was a derogatory statement on the people having surname Modi.
“Rahul Gandhi in a statement had said that all people having Modi surnames are thieves. He (Sushil Modi) is also having Modi surname and as it was election time, his statement may influence the voters. Hence, he has filed a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi,” Sanjay said.
Tied at same points, India face Belgium in crucial FIH Pro League double-header
The Indian men’s hockey team will return to FIH Pro League action when they take on the Olympic champions Belgium in a crucial two-legged contest on June 11 and 12 at Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein here.
Currently placed second on the pool table with 27 points in 12 matches, the Indian team is coming off a successful home leg. After starting their home leg with a 5-4 win and a 3-5 loss against Spain, the Indian team went on to secure match points against every team they played against — Argentina (2-2 (1-3 SO) and 4-3), England (3-3 (3-2 SO) and 4-3) and Germany (3-0 and 3-1).
Speaking ahead of the two-legged tie against hosts Belgium, men’s captain Amit Rohidas said, “We’ve had a successful home leg, and I must say we have gone from strength to strength in the season so far. This will be the most important phase of the Pro League. We will be facing two strong teams at their home, so it will be challenging.
“We also got a good amount of time at the national camp in SAI, Bengaluru to introspect our performances. From structure to finishing, we’ve worked on all the aspects of the game. The plan will be to simply repeat what we’ve done in the training,” added Rohidas.
Meanwhile, vice-captain Harmanpreet stated, “It’s been a great season so far. Many young players got a chance to play against top teams and they’ve grown with each match. We are in a good position, and our focus will be to carry forward the momentum we have gained from the home leg.”
The last time both teams faced each other was during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics semifinal where India lost 2-5 and Belgium went on to win the Olympic gold.
“Look it was in the past, and this is a different stage. Of course, our aim will be to win both the matches and put ourselves in a strong position in the points table, but for that, we will have to play good hockey. Our focus will be on executing our skills,” Rohidas said.
Belgium is also tied at the same points (27 points in 12 matches) but is placed third in the pool table due to a lesser goal difference compared to India.
“The points table is getting intense, and we’ve got only four matches left that too against teams like Belgium and Netherlands. This is the challenge we were waiting for. We will go all out against them,” added Harmanpreet, who is currently the leading goalscorer in the league.
House gutted as electric bike explodes in Telangana
A house was destroyed when an electric bike caught fire while it was kept on charging in Telangana’s Siddipet district.
There were no casualties. The incident occurred in Chikoda village of Dubbaka Mandal in the early hours of June 8.
Lakshmi Narayana, who had purchased a bike about six months ago, had parked it at his neighbour’s house and kept in on charging before going to bed.
He woke up to the sound of an explosion and came out to see his neighbour’s house in flames. The bike reportedly caught fire after the explosion and soon it spread to the entire house, reducing it to ashes.
A tragedy was averted as there was no one in the house. As the house owner Durgaiah lives in Hyderabad, Lakshmi Narayana with his permission had kept a few of his belongings there and had also kept the electric vehicle on charging when the mishap occurred.
Laksmi Narayana, who runs a beedi manufacturing unit, had purchased an electric bike six months ago due to increasing prices of fuel.
This is the latest in a series of incidents of electric bikes going up in flames while charging.
An electric bike burst into flames in Hyderabad on May 11. There were no casualties.
A man was killed and three others injured when the battery of an electric two-wheeler exploded in their house at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on April 23.
Earlier on April 19, an 80-year-old died and two others were injured when an electric bike that kept on charging burst into flames when they were asleep at their house in Telangana’s Nizamabad town.
Concerned over the increasing incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire, the Centre recently formed an expert panel to inquire into the matter.
Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said in April that action will be taken against those companies found guilty of negligence. He also said that a recall of all defective vehicles will be ordered after receiving the report from the expert committee.
Pant an ‘exceptionally dangerous’ batter; should be an integral part of India’s T20 WC campaign: Ponting
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has said that should be an integral part of India’s ICC T20 World Cup campaign in Australia later this year, adding that the wicketkeeper-batter will be “exceptionally dangerous for India” given the flat and bouncy pitches Down Under.
While Pant may have scored the second-lowest score (340 runs) in the seven seasons he has played in the IPL, and a captaincy blunder in the crucial match may have cost his side a playoffs berth, Delhi Capitals head coach Ponting believes that Pant is “an outstanding young man who has the world at his feet”.
“He’s (Pant) a wonderful player. He is just an outstanding young man who has got the world at his feet and he’ll be exceptionally dangerous for India, especially on the wickets we’ll provide in Australia… good flat, fast, bouncy wickets. He’ll be one of the players to watch out for in the tournament,” opined Pointing on ICC Review.
Having seen Pant’s progression while at Delhi Capitals, the Australian legend felt that Pant should be utilised as a “floater” during the T20 World Cup in October-November this year.
“I reckon having him as a floater. I think I’ll probably have him listed at No. 5 somewhere in the batting line-up. But, I think, when some situations come where it gets to a stage where it’s 7-8 overs to go and might be 1-2 (wickets) down, then I think I’ll look at sending him in and giving him as much time as I possibly can,” added Pointing.
Ponting felt that given the “dynamic” and “explosive” cricketer the left-arm batter is, he would want to use Pant in that specific role.
“He’s that dynamic and explosive player… that’s certainly the way I’d look at trying to use him. He was really frustrated with his IPL because he went into the tournament getting better than I’ve ever seen him bat before, and even by his own admission he said the same thing to me. (In fact), halfway through the tournament he was getting the results that he probably deserved,” added Ponting.
Ponting said that when Pant hit a bad patch, he kept reminding the batter about the fickle nature of T20 cricket.
“And I kept reinforcing that thing to him at the nets that’s a T20 game. You make a little error of judgement (and) all of a sudden your game is over if you are cruising around at 35 or whatever… and that’s sort of how it felt for him,” added the Australian.
India reports 7,584 new Covid Cases, and 24 deaths in the last 24 hrs
India on Friday reported 7,584 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, an increase against the 7,240 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said.
Also in the same period, there were 24 new Covid fatalities which increased the nationwide death toll to 5,24,747.
Meanwhile, the active caseload also rose to 36,267 cases, accounting for 0.08 percent of the country’s total positive cases.
The recovery of 3,791 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,26,44,092. Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.70 percent.
While the daily positivity rate spiked to 2.26 percent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 1.50 percent.
Also in the same period, a total of 3,35,050 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 85.41 crores.
As of Friday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 194.76 crores, achieved via 2,49,36,054 sessions.
Over 3.49 crore adolescents have been administered a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age bracket.
Ukraine losing upto 200 troops a day: President’s aide
An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country is losing up to 200 troops a day while fighting on the front line with Russian forces.
According to the aide Mykhaylo Podolyak, hundreds of Ukrainian troops are under relentless bombardment as Russian forces attempt to take control of the whole of the eastern Donbas region, the BBC reported on Friday.
While reiterating that Ukraine still requires Western artillery, he said: “The Russian forces have thrown pretty much everything non-nuclear at the front and that includes heavy artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and aviation.”
Podolyak added that the “complete lack of parity” between the two rival armies was the reason for Ukraine’s heavy casualty rate.
“Our demands for artillery are not just some kind of whim, but an objective need when it comes to the situation on the battlefield,” the BBC quoted the aide as saying, who went on to add that Kiev needs 150-300 rocket launch systems to match Russia, which is a much higher number than it has received so far.
He also stressed that peace talks between Kiev and Moscow can resume if Russia surrendered the territory it has gained since it launched the invasion on February 24.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have concentrated their assault on the eastern city of Severodonetsk.
On Wednesday, President Zelensky said “the fate of the Donbas is being decided there” and officials said it has been reduced to rubble by intense Russian artillery and missile barrages.
Ross Taylor hints at a possible return to T20 cricket; coaching roles later
Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor, who retired from all forms of international cricket earlier this year, is not averse to returning to the cricket field, albeit as a T20 player or as a coach.
One of the most celebrated Blacks Caps players, Traylor, who was part of the side that defeated India in the World Test Championship final in England last year, was honored in the Queen’s Birthday honors earlier this week with a New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), said on Friday “never say never to coaching”, when asked if he was open to the role.
“Yeah, a bit of both (coaching and playing). You never say never to coaching but first and foremost I still love playing the game and want to try and play it as much as I can while I can,” the 38-year-old Taylor said when asked by SENZ Mornings if he had any thoughts about coaching or playing in some areas.
Taylor is currently involved in Maori cricket and is looking at the lucrative T20 market to return to the cricket field.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Central Districts over the summer, there are a few tournaments that I’ve signed up to go to as well. I enjoy playing the game still and giving back to it in any way. I did miss the game a little bit the other day at Lord’s (first Test between England and New Zealand), but there are also elements that I didn’t miss and I guess made my decision content.”
With former teammates such as Brendon McCullum (new England head coach) and Daniel Vettori (new assistant coach with Australia) having signed up lucrative contracts, Taylor said that while he wasn’t thinking about coaching roles in the immediate future, he wouldn’t rule them out completely.
“Probably not at the moment but I guess being a batting coach or a head coach, a lot of players I played with that I never thought would get into head coaching or be a coach in general (have taken that route),” he added.
“We just have to wait and see. I’ve been successful at one job, hopefully, I have the passion to be successful at whatever I do after cricket as well.”
Starc ruled out of the first couple of ODIs vs Sri Lanka; could miss the entire white-ball series: Report
Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the first couple of One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka beginning on June 14, and could possibly miss the entire white-ball series because of a freak injury he suffered in the opening T20I at Colombo on June 7.
While there were doubts over the left-arm seamer’s inclusion in the ODI series after he suffered a deep gash in his bowling finger by accidentally rubbing it on his shoe spikes, and subsequently required six stitches, news in cricket.com.au late on Thursday said that he will not take part in at least a couple of ODIs, and possibly miss the entire white-ball series.
Starc, though, will be available for the two-Test series at Galle from June 29. As a backup, Cricket Australia had already drafted pace bowler Jhye Richardson into their ODI squad.
The report added that Nathan McAndrew will join Australia A squad as cover for Richardson, who has “been promoted to the ODI group having originally earned selection only for the T20 leg of the all-format tour”.
“(He) will continue to train with the squad in Sri Lanka and potentially return during the ODI series (at the backend of the series). His recovery time is unspecified but anticipated to be a minimum of seven days,” CA said in a statement.
“It was a strange one,” teammate Josh Hazlewood told cricket.com.au of Starc’s injury. “Once his left leg came back through, he clipped it on the spike, so he’s got a little cut on his bowling finger.”
“It was a crazy thing to come back out (with a heavily-taped finger in the opening T20I) and finish his spell and take three wickets as well,” added David Warner.
This is the second finger injury to an Australian pace bowler in the series, with Sean Abbott returning home after fracturing a digit after being struck by a net bowler during practice.
Starc is on the threshold of breaking former Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq’s record as the fastest bowler to 200 ODI wickets. The Australian is on 195 wickets from 99 games.
Williamson tests Covid-positive; ruled out of the second Test vs England at Trent Bridge
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the second Test against England starting at Trent Bridge later on Friday.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead gave an update on the charismatic captain of the World Test championship side on the eve of the match, saying Hamish Rutherford will replace him in the squad.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) tweeted, “Coach Gary Stead confirms captain Kane Williamson will miss the second Test against England in Nottingham on Friday, after testing positive for Covid-19 the night before the match. Hamish Rutherford will replace him in the squad #ENGvNZ.”
Williamson undertook a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) after experiencing minor symptoms during the day and will now begin five days of isolation, said NZC.
The rest of the touring party has returned negative RATs and will continue following the tour health protocols of symptom reporting and subsequent testing if required.
“It’s such a shame for Kane to be forced to withdraw on the eve of such an important match,” said Stead in a video posted on the NZC website.
“We’re all feeling for him at this time and know-how disappointed he will be. Hamish was with the Test squad earlier in the tour and has been playing for the Leicestershire Foxes in the T20 Vitality Blast,” added Stead.
Tom Latham will captain the side in Williamson’s absence.
New Zealand had lost the opening game of the three-Test at Lord’s by five wickets with former England skipper Joe Root scoring a superb unbeaten century, while Williamson returned below-par scores in both innings.
