Seven Pakistan players namely Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Khan, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz and Kashif Bhatti have been tested positive for Covid-19. This news has come after three Pakistan players – Haider Ali, Shadab Khan and Harris Rauf were tested positive on Monday.
Furthermore, one member of the support staff, Malang Ali, the masseuse, has also been tested positive. PCB had earlier named a 29-member squad for the tour of England and now 10 players have been tested positive. All the 10 players are asymptomatic.
“The PCB medical panel is already in contact with these players and the masseur, who have been instructed to observe strict quarantine at their homes for their and their families’ wellbeing,” the board said in a release.
The rest of the players, Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan and Yasir Shah have been tested negative.
These players who have been tested negative will now gather at Lahore on June 24. Subsequently, they will travel to England on 28 June. The players will once again be tested on their arrival in England and they will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
The Pakistan players will need to follow the new guidelines and all the protocols. The visitors can also start their training in a bio-secure environment which will be provided by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
PCB CEO Wasim Khan has confirmed that the England tour is on despite 10 of their players testing positive.
“The tour to England is very much on track and the side will depart as per schedule,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said.
The negative players will travel on June 28 as planned. In fact, the positive tested players are not ruled out of the tour and once they recover, they will be tested again. PCB has confirmed that the players will undergo five tests before they play the first Test at Lord’s. The tourists will play three Test matches and as many T20Is on the England tour.
The second and third Test will take place at Manchester and Nottingham respectively. The three T20Is will take place at Leeds, Cardiff and Southampton.
