Second group of Pakistan cricketers to fly out to UK on July 3
After the first squad of 20 members were flown out by ECB via charter on June 28, a second group of Pakistan cricketers will depart for the UK on Friday. This group of six cricketers, who first tested positive for COVID-19, returned negative results two times and were cleared for departure.
Ahead of the scheduled series between England and Pakistan, out of Pakistan’s 29-man squad, 10 players first tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Out of those 10 cricketers, six Pakistan players picked for the tour had to stay home and got tested negative for a second time in three days and were cleared to join the squad in England. The PCB will now facilitate the travel of these six cricketers to the UK, on this Friday, where they'll join the squad in Worcester ahead of next month's series against England. Those six cricketers are Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Malik, who didn't fly out in the first batch of 20 players, will join the team in England on July 24 after spending some time with his family. The Pakistan team in the UK will be in a two-week quarantine in Worcester ahead of the series. All of England’s players and management, in Southampton preparing for the first test next week against the West Indies, also tested negative in their third round of tests on Monday.
“The second group of six Pakistan cricketers will depart for Manchester on Friday, 3 July, by the national carrier. The players who will travel by the Pakistan International Airlines are: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz,” the PCB said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.
The cricket board further stated that from Manchester, all the six players will be transported to Worcester and will integrate with the squad after they test negative in England and Wales Cricket Board’s testing program. Meanwhile, spinner Kashif Bhatti, pacers Haris Rauf and Imran Khan and batsman Haider Ali still remain in quarantine.