Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed seven more COVID-19 positive cases in the England-bound squad. This takes the number of contingent members infected with novel coronavirus to ten.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had carried out novel coronavirus tests on the players and staff who were to fly to England later this week. Three of the tested players on Monday reported positive for the COVID-19 infection.
Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz Test Positive are among the seven coronavirus positive cases reported today.
Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday confirmed that a further seven players and a support personnel including Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez were tested positive for the virus.
The seven infected players are Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hasnain and Imran Khan.
The infected players will have to go into 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
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 reported free from the virus.
The support staff with negative reports include Mansoor Rana (manager), Misbah-ul-Haq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Younis Khan (batting coach), Mushtaq Ahmed (spin bowling coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Butt (team analyst), Yasir Malik (strength and conditioning coach), Dr Sohail Saleem (team doctor), Lt Col (retd) Usman Riffat (security manager) and Raza Kitchlew (media and digital content manager).
“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.
Meanwhile, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan has said that the tour to England will go ahead despite ten contingent members testing positive for coronavirus.
“The tour of England is very much on track and the side will depart as per schedule on June 28,” Khan has stated. “Fortunately all the first choice red ball squad, barring Mohammad Rizwan, are negative, which mean they can start training and practicing immediately after they have been tested and given the all clear when they arrive in England.”
Shoaib Malik, Cliffe Deacon and Waqar Younis still have to give their swab samples for the COVID-19 test.
The PCB had organised tests for 35 players in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Monday.
The squad will fly to England via a chartered flight to be organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Pakistan will play three Tests and as many T20 Internationals on the tour of England.
Schedule:
Tests: 1st Test – Aug 5-9 (Old Trafford); 2nd Test – Aug 13-17 (Southampton); and 3rd Test – Aug 21-25 (Southampton).
T20Is: August 29, 31 and September 2 (all at Southampton).