A Top English Cricket Official Says Pakistan’s England Tour Could Still Go Ahead Even If The Coronavirus Is Positive For More Players From The Traveling Party Test:
Pakistan’s England tour could proceed even though, according to England’s cricket director Ashley Giles, more players from the traveling party test were positive for the coronavirus.
Three members of Pakistan ‘s extended 29-man squad-Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan-tested positive after COVID-19 tests on Sunday, and further findings were predicted in the days to come.
Giles said the situation was a “concern” on Tuesday but the tour was not in doubt at this time.Pakistan’s squad is scheduled to fly from August into England on Sunday for three Tests and three Twenty20s.”We are far enough away from the start of the test series at the moment not to worry too much about that,” Giles said on a video call.
“We ‘re waiting for those other test results,” added Giles. “We ‘re still far enough out, even though a number of those results were still positive, but that’s the difference with international sport. We need to get our opposition in (the) country. Anything that puts this at risk or in danger is clearly a problem.”
The coronavirus is spreading in Pakistan at one of the world’s highest rates, with new cases jumping in the country from about 2,000-3,000 a day in late May to 6,800 a day in mid-June. Pakistan recorded 105 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday and the total number of cases in a country of 220 million has risen to 185,034.
Pakistan has warned that infection cases could hit a stunning 1.2 million by the end of July, if Pakistanis continue to flout even the most basic precautions such as wearing masks.Giles acknowledged that there was a risk that the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies, scheduled to be held in isolation in Southampton and Manchester in July, could be the only test cricket played this summer in England.
“All of this still has confusion, including the West Indies series to some degree, because we know how rapidly this situation has been moving around the world,” he said.”There is still uncertainty about all this, even to any degree in the West Indies series, because we know how quickly this situation has moved around the world,” he said. “We have been very careful at every step. Do we know what’s around the corner, really? No. The Ageas Bowl (in Southampton) and Old Trafford (in Manchester) bubble, that’s why we’re trying to create environments that mitigate as much risk as we can.
Pakistan players’ latest round of test results is due at the late Tuesday.
Dr. Sohail Saleem, director of medical and sports sciences at the Pakistan Cricket Board, said on Monday that touring England was a threat but necessary to help the country get through the crisis. There was agreement with Giles.
“There are far more important things going on than sport,” he said. “But we’re hopeful if we can get on with international sport, it’s going to be a great fillip for many people all over the world.” England’s 30-man training group reported on Tuesday at the Ageas Bowl and was tested for COVID-19 upon arrival along with the management team as preparations step ahead of the West Indies series beginning on July 8.
The group will isolate themselves on the ground in the hotel, spending most of the time in their rooms while awaiting the results. The first day of practice for England will be on Thursday, with half the group training in the morning and half in the afternoon.
On Monday the West Indies squad completed its 14-day period of isolation and on Tuesday started a three-day internal warmup match in Manchester.Separate teams led by West Indies captain Jason Holder and vice captain Kraigg Brathwaite. For the match, both sides wore the navy blue-and-maroon training kit for the West Indies, with whites still being prepared for the test match.
