Pakistan cricket squad to leave for England on June 28:
On June 28, the Pakistan cricket squad is scheduled to depart for England to play three tests and three Twenty20 internationals. On Saturday, the Pakistan Cricket Board said the team will be quarantined in Derbyshire for 14 days, subject to restrictions in place for the coronavirus pandemic, but will be allowed to practice during that time.
Selectors have selected an extended 29 squad for the tour so that replacements are available in the event of a player falling ill. The Pakistanis have not been playing competitive cricket since March 17, when the pandemic suspended the domestic Twenty20 tournament — the PSL—.
The PCB said that apart from preparation and practice sessions in England, “intra-squad matches will be conducted to account for the shortage of practice matches due to the non-availability of local teams as the ECB has yet to begin its domestic season.”
England will take on the West Indies next month before meeting with Pakistan in a three-test series. The PCB has given special dispensation to all-rounder Shoaib Malik, who will be playing in the Twenty20s, to join the team in England on July 24 after spending time with his family.
Malik hasn’t seen his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Izhaan, a one-year-old son, for five months since international travel bans were imposed. Mirza and Izhaan are in India while Malik is in Sialkot, his hometown.
“As travel restrictions are now slowly easing out and there is a chance for a family reunion, it is appropriate that we show compassion on a human level as part of our duty of care and respect the request of Shoaib,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said in a statement.
“We have been talking to the Cricket Board of England and Wales … And they agreed to derogate from this by helping Shoaib enter the country on 24 July. Of course, before integrating with the side, Shoaib must follow the UK Government’s policies on visitors entering the country.
