Lahore: A 20-player Pakistan squad left for England, through a chartered flight from here, on Sunday morning despite novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.According to the tentative schedule, the first Test will be played on August 5 in Manchester. Pakistan will play the remaining two games in Southampton, starting on August 13 and 21 respectively.
The visitors will also play three Twenty20 internationals in Southampton on August 29, 31 and September 2.Zafar Gohar, the left-arm spinner who played an ODI in 2015, will join the side from England and will only be involved in pre-match preparations.
"Following advice from leading sports science experts and as per the UK government regulations, players who have tested positive during the PCB testing process will be unable to travel on Sunday," the PCB said in a statement.However, they will be sent to England as soon as their two tests return negative.
It must be noted that, after retest, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan all tested negative for Covid-19.Meanwhile, Kashif Bhatti, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Imran Khan had once again tested positive for the virus.
Upon arrival in Manchester, the squad will be transported to Worcestershire where they will undergo the England and Wales Cricket Board testing before completing their 14-day isolation period, during which they will be allowed to train and practice. The side will move to Derbyshire on July 13, the statement further said.
Squad:
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, and Yasir Shah.(UNI)
