Daily Times

LAHORE: Seven more Pakistan cricketers have tested positive for COVID-19 after being screened ahead of their tour of England, taking the total to 10, and putting a big question mark on the upcoming tour. Along with the players, team’s support staff member Malang Ali (masseur) has also been tested positive. “Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan and Wahab Riaz tested positive along with team masseur Malang Ali,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday. The PCB on Monday had announced that Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan had tested positive for the virus. “Like Haider, Haris and Shadab, none of the seven players and masseur had reported any prior symptoms of COVID-19 until they underwent first round of testing on Monday ahead of the side’s departure for Manchester,” the PCB added. “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 four reserves the selectors named for the tour of England –– Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz ––- have been called up for testing as more than one third of the 29-man squad the PCB announced for the tour have become Covid-19 positive. The PCB had conducted the 35 tests in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Monday. The players who tested negative are 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. Head coach Misbahul Haq, batting coach Younus Khan, spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, fielding coach Abdul Majeed and other staff members also tested negative. Shoaib Malik, Cliffe Deacon and Waqar Younis have not been tested yet.

Pakistan’s Test and limited-overs squads are set to tour England for three Tests and three Twenty20 internationals. They are due to fly out later this month before going into quarantine ahead of the first Test starting on July 30. England are returning from the coronavirus shutdown with three tests against West Indies next month with the first scheduled to begin in Southampton on July 8 without spectators. The rate of new coronavirus cases has been rising fast in the country of 207 million people but Prime Minister Imran Khan — a former Pakistan cricket captain — has ruled out a nationwide lockdown.

Commenting on the development, PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said: “The recent positive tests of some of the fittest athletes, who had not shown any symptoms, clearly reflect the danger this virus possesses.” He urged the public to strictly adhere to the safety precautions advised by the government to control the spread of the virus. “As regards the players who have tested positive, we will continue to monitor and support them, including conducting antibody tests, and as soon as they test negative, they will be flown to join the squad in England. At the moment, they have been advised to go into self-isolation so that they not only recover quickly but also prevent their other family members from being infected,” he said.

Wasim said the England tour was “very much on track” and the team would depart as per schedule on June 28. “Fortunately, all the first-choice red-ball squad, barring Mohammad Rizwan, are negative, which means they can start training and practising immediately after they have been tested and given the all-clear when they arrive in England,” he added. “In the meantime, Misbahul Haq is reviewing the training schedule in England and is firming up plans for reserve players to be tested as a backup.” All players who tested negative will assemble in a bio-secure environment on June 24 in Lahore, and undergo a second round of testing the following day. All those who test negative in that second round of testing will depart for Manchester on a chartered flight on June 28, and be tested upon arrival in England. They will then have to quarantine for a period of 14 days in the country in line with government regulations, but will be permitted to train in a bio-secure facility during this time. Those who have tested positive will only depart for England after returning two negative Covid-19 tests.

“We are concerned as we see numbers growing in Pakistan. But one thing we do know about England is that there conditions there are massively improving. Shops and restaurants are reopening with social distancing. Once we cancelled our camp in Lahore we were looking to go England earlier,and so we are comfortable with the provisions at the ECB put in place. We will protect our players as much as possible and keep them safe to allow them to practice and play matches in a safe environment,” Wasim concluded.