Seven more Pakistan players due to tour England in August have tested positive for coronavirus, the country’s cricket board said yesterday, taking the total to 10 since the first results were announced this week.
Pakistan are due to depart for England on Saturday ahead of a series that will see them play three Tests and three Twenty20 internationals against England, starting in August.
Despite the new cases, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive Wasim Khan insisted the tour would go ahead.
“The tour is very much on the track and the squad will depart as per schedule,” said Khan.
“Fortunately, all first-choice Test players, barring wicketkeeper Mohamed Rizwan, are negative which means they can start training immediately after they are tested and given all clear when they arrive in UK,” he added.
Fakhar Zaman, Mohamed Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Mohamed Hafeez, Mohamed Hasnain, Kashif Bhatti are the latest to be diagnosed with the virus.
It comes after three cricketers Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Haider Ali tested positive on Monday. The team’s massage therapist has also tested positive.
Pakistan is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, with more than 185,000 so far, including 3,695 deaths, while cases are falling in Britain.
Khan expressed disappointment so many players had tested positive.
“We gave players the guidelines but we can’t stop them from meeting their relatives,” he said.
All players that tested negative will undergo another screening for the virus in Lahore tomorrow before heading to England on a chartered plane two days later.
The Pakistan squad will then spend 14 days in quarantine in Derbyshire before moving to Manchester for practice games before the Test series.
Four reserve players - batsman Imran Butt, allrounder Mohamed Nawaz, spinner Bilal Asif and fast bowler Musa Khan - will also undergo testing. If cleared, they will join the squad.
Senior batsman Shoaib Malik has been allowed to spend some time with his Indian tennis star wife Sania Mirza and their son in Dubai.
Malik, who has retired from Test and one-day cricket, was only selected for the Twenty20 internationals and is likely to join the squad on July 24.
Speaking before the latest positive test results, Ashley Giles, the England director of cricket, said: “At the moment, I don’t think the tour is in doubt. We are far enough away from the start of the Test series not to worry too much at the moment. We’re still hopeful the Pakistan team will be arriving in the country fairly soon.
“But this is the difference with the international sport – we need to get our opposition into the country. Anything that puts that at risk or in danger is clearly a problem.
“There are far more important things than sport but we’re hopeful that, if we can get international sport played, it will be a fillip for many people around the world.”
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/31apZMw
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