England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday (July 6) named a new-look 18-member squad for the upcoming home ODI series against Pakistan.
The announcement comes after the initial team was forced to isolate due to three players and four staff testing positive for COVID-19.
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Amid the development, England team director Ashley Giles has defended his players, saying not a single one of them violated the COVID-19 protocols set out by the ECB.
"I'm very confident the players haven't breached any of those protocols. We can't say where it (the virus) originated, but we can identify how some of this has developed through close contact. We haven't gambled. I don't believe we've gambled at all. We are fully aware of the risks and we are aware of the knife-edge that we are working on all the time," ESPNcricinfo quoted Giles as saying.
"We are trying to look after our people and keeping them safe while protecting the revenues of the whole game. It is a difficult balance to strike. Let's stop talking about relaxed protocols. If we haven't got sole use of hotels, if we have grounds with crowds and you have staff coming in and out of the environment then, however much testing you do, there is going to be a risk. We are seeing an almost-impossible situation as society opens and the virus is still spreading," he added.
Ace all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was out of action after sustaining a finger injury during the first half of IPL 2021, has been named the captain of the revised squad while Chris Silverwood, who was due to take a break during the white-ball series, is back as head coach. In total, there are nine uncapped players in the fresh squad.
"We always hoped we would open up as society opened up. That was always the plan until the variant arrived. But actually what we had planned - in terms of much more access to families, eating outside, the normal freedoms other people are taking for granted right now - just didn't happen," said Giles.
"But if relaxing is allowing those guys to eat together or spend some time together - and they spend a lot of time in the dressing room together where that infection can happen - it's almost impossible to completely remove all risk from the environment," he further remarked.
Commenting on the COVID-19 protocols, Giles said: "This year's protocols have been very close to last year's protocols. Guys were able to go and play golf, as they were last year under the right risk assessments. There was a period at the start of the trip when, after a risk assessment, guys were able to go and exercise outdoors and grab a takeaway coffee. But that was it."
"That was two-and-a-half weeks ago when the country was in a different place. Since that point, the squad have been living under very tight restrictions, so this is a frustration for everyone," he added.
The three-match ODIs series between England and Pakistan, part of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League, will kick-off on July 8 while the third and final match will be played on July 13.
