PCB chalks out plan for players' Covid-19 tests ahead of England tour

Pakistan players and officials will undergo which coronavirus (Covid-19) tests, which will be carried out on June 22 and 24 before their departure for England tour from Lahore through a chartered flight on June 28.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 29-member squad for the upcoming tour of England. Apart from cricketers, 14 players' support personnel will also be travelling with the squad.

Pakistan is scheduled to take on the home side in three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), which will be played in August-September.

“The first test will be taken in players’ and officials’ respective cities and areas of residence. The players will assemble in Lahore on Wednesday and the Board has arranged for a bio-secure floor for them in a five-star hotel where they will stay in isolation before taking the chartered flight,” said a source in the PCB according to the Press Trust of India.

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The selectors have also named four reserves in Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz as a cover in case any of the players fail pre-tour Covid-19 testing.

The PCB is set to sign a MoU with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday, which details the terms and conditions of the aforementioned tour.

The Board has already confirmed that Pakistan players will not be allowed to bring their families along on the tour to England.

During previous foreign tours, players’ families used to accompany the squad. However, due to the ‘bio-secure’ conditions in which the entire tour will be held, players will not be able to interact with their families even if they travel separately to England.