logo

Pakistan vs West Indies ODIs postponed to June 2022

 
Several players in the guest squad who tested positive for Covid-19 are pushing the development
 

The ODI series with three games between Pakistan and the West Indies, which begins on Saturday, was postponed to June 2022 after a Covid-19 outbreak in the visiting team.

West Indies were hit by the virus on the first day they arrived in Karachi, with three players and a support agent testing positive. While the tour was able to survive that, the occurrence of five more Covid cases from tests on Wednesday - the day before the third and final T20I - took the situation out of hand.

With Devon Thomas also out with a finger injury, the West Indies only had 14 players to choose from and while that was enough to complete the T20I leg of the tour, both boards of directors agreed that it would be wrong to continue with such a depleted squad , especially since the following ODIs were also part of the Super League, which determines a team's promotion to the 2023 World Cup.

"On Thursday morning, rapid antigen tests were performed on the remaining 15 West Indian players and six player support staff as part of the PCB Covid-19 protocols," said a joint press release from PCB and CWI. “All 21 members of the West Indian Touring Party gave a negative test result. Therefore, the T20 International (T20I) on Thursday went as planned.

"However, taking into account both the well-being of the teams and the limited resources on the West Indian side for the ODIs, it was agreed that the series, which is part of the ICC Men's Cricket Word Cup Super League, would be postponed and" postponed to early June 2022.

Also Read Cricket News | Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam lead Pakistan to a 3-0 victory

"This will give the West Indies an equal chance to use their best available players for the World Cup qualifiers."

The 15 West Indian players and six coaches who have been cleared of the virus will go home after today's game. The others - Sheldon Cottrell, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Justin Greaves, assistant coach Roddy Estwick, team doctor Dr. According to the biosecurity protocols for this tour, anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 must undergo isolation for a period of 10 days and will only be released from it after two negative tests.

It is unclear how one of the West Indian players got infected with Covid-19. The 21-strong force arrived in Karachi by commercial flights from several locations via Dubai. They were quarantined for two days before coming together as a group to train and play for the first two T20Is.

Pakistan's players, all of whom tested negative on Wednesday, will also exit the bio-bubble after the third T20I tonight.

This is the second ODI series to be interrupted on Pakistani soil in 2021. New Zealand were due to play three games at Rawalpindi in October, but minutes before the first game started, it was canceled due to safety concerns. Pakistan's next 50-over bet is against Australia in March 2022.