Coronavirus: Pakistan announce initial 20-man squad travelling to England

Rob Lancaster

Coronavirus: Pakistan announce initial 20-man squad travelling to England image

Pakistan will travel with an initial 20-man playing squad for the tour of England following the results from the latest round of coronavirus tests. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement to reveal the list of names who will be on the chartered flight to Manchester, as well as an update on the situations of those who had previously tested positive for COVID-19. 

Of the original 29-man squad, 18 received the all-clear following Thursday's checks, as well as 11 members of the support staff. 

They will be joined on the journey by fast bowler Musa Khan and wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir, who have also been tested twice in the past week. Zafar Gohar, meanwhile, will team up with the squad on their arrival in England.The left-arm spinner played a solitary one-dayer for Pakistan in 2015, though he will only be involved in pre-match preparations.

As for those not making the initial trip, they will not be able to travel until returning two successive negative results.  

Six players - Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz – have done so once and will be tested again next week with a view to joining their team-mates.

Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Kashif Bhatti and Imran Khan, along with masseur Malang Ali, all tested positive again, however. The PCB medical team has instructed them to remain in quarantine, with their progress to be monitored. 

"I want to reassure the players and the official left behind that the PCB will provide them the best support and look after them during the quarantine period," PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said in a statement.  

"It needs to be remembered that these players were asymptomatic, which means their chances of regaining complete fitness are higher and brighter than most. As soon as these players test negative twice through the PCB testing process they will be flown to England to join the squad. 

"I am aware Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz took personal tests outside of our process prior to the second PCB testing. While their results came up negative, as per the PCB testing programme, they are deemed to have one negative test following a positive test.  

"Therefore, once they are retested and receive a second negative result under the PCB testing programme, they will be available to join the squad in England."

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and a trio of Twenty20 fixtures against England.

 

Pakistan squad travelling to England: Azhar Ali (captain), Babar Azam, 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. 

Rob Lancaster