Pakistan and England cricketers test COVID-19 negative in UK

Following an almost four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus-induced pandemic, cricket is scheduled to resume on July 8 as England take on West Indies at home for three Tests. It will be followed by three T20Is and as many Tests between England and Pakistan. After a 20-man squad was flown into the UK, England and Pakistan cricket teams passed their latest coronavirus tests.

All 20 players and 11 staff in the Pakistan squad tested negative for COVID-19 since arriving on Sunday, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday. The Pakistan team in the UK will be in a two-week quarantine in Worcester ahead of the series starting on July 30. All of England’s players and management, in Southampton preparing for the first test next week against the West Indies, also were negative in their third round of tests on Monday.

Meanwhile, six Pakistan players picked for the tour who tested positive last week and had to stay home have tested negative for a second time in three days and have been cleared to join the squad in England. The PCB will now facilitate the travel of these six cricketers to the UK, where they'll join the squad in Worcester ahead of next month's series against England. 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 in India.