Coronavirus : Three Pak cricketers test positive for COVID-19 ahead of team’s departure to England

Coronavirus : Three Pak cricketers test positive for COVID-19 ahead of team’s departure to England

Pakistani cricketers Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan have tested positive for coronavirus, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed.All of them were asymptomatic and showed no signs until they were tested for the virus in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s tour to England, the board also confirmed.

Meanwhile, Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari have tested negative for the virus, and, as such, will travel to Lahore on June 24.

The PCB medical panel is in contact with the three who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed 3 players – Haider Ali, Haris Rauf & Shadab Khan – have tested positive for #COVID19. The players had shown no symptoms until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s tour to England: PCB pic.twitter.com/DeWG0uL5la

— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2020

The other players and team officials, barring Cliffe Deacon, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis, underwent tests at their respective centres in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Monday and their test results will come on Tuesday.

Leg-spinner Shadab is the only established member of the team out of the three.

Rauf has played only two T20 Internationals while highly-rated batsman Ali had received his maiden call-up for the England tour comprising three Tests and as many T20s.

All the squad members are being tested for coronavirus ahead of the team’s departure on June 28.

Besides a 29-member squad, the PCB has also named four reserves for the England tour — Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz.

Also on Monday, PCB doctor Sohail Saleem said that the England tour in the midst of the pandemic is a “big risk” but a necessary one.

Earlier this month, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had tested positive for the deadly virus.

Former Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar was also tested positive for the virus but he has recovered.