ENG v PAK 2020: PCB announces first group of travellers for England tour after conducting COVID-19 retests

Pakistan will play three Tests and equal number of T20Is on their tour to England.

Pakistan will play England in August and September | AFPThe Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday (June 27) announced that 20 players and 11 support staff will travel on a chartered flight to Manchester on Sunday (June 28) morning for the much-awaited tour of England, where they will play three Tests and equal number of T20Is in August and September.

The 31-member touring party will use Worcestershire's New Road as their training base during their mandatory 14-day isolation period before transferring to Derbyshire's County Ground on July 13.

In a media release, the PCB also confirmed that all 18 players and 11 support staff personnel, who had tested negative for COVID-19 in the first round of tests on Monday (June 22), have again returned negative in Thursday’s retests.

“Besides the 29 members, tests of fast bowler Musa Khan and Pakistan U19 captain and wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir, along with three other reserve players, were also conducted on Thursday and they have also returned negative,” the press release further stated.

Players who have tested positive during the PCB testing process will be unable to join the first group of travellers on Sunday. However, they will leave for England as soon as their two tests return negative.

10 players namely Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan and Wahab Riaz were tested positive in the first round.

Among the aforementioned cricketers, 6 of them have tested negative in the retests and their names include Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz.

“The six players who have now tested negative will undergo third round of testing at some stage next week and if their tests remain negative, then the PCB will make arrangements to send them to England,” PCB’s statement read.

The five players, who have tested positive again, have been advised by the PCB medical panel to follow strict quarantine.

Pakistan’s 31-member touring party:

Players – Azhar Ali (captain), Babar Azam (vice-captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Rohail Nazir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Yasir Shah and Zafar Gohar

Note: Gohar, the left-arm spinner, will join the side from England and will only be involved in pre-match preparations.

Support Staff – Mansoor Rana (manager), Misbah-ul-Haq (head coach), Younis Khan (batting coach), Mushtaq Ahmed (spin bowling coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant 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).

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 27 Jun, 2020

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