Four players featuring in Pakistan National T20 Cup test Covid-19 positive

The Pakistan National T20 Cup kick-started on September 23. However, the ongoing tournament has to deal with a blow. Four players of the Balochistan side have tested positive for the Covid-19. The players are now undergoing the 10-day necessary quarantine.

Following this, all the other players and their families underwent testing on Tuesday, October 5. All of them were asymptomatic and tested negative for the virus. The players will continue to participate in the ongoing tournament as per the information given by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in their press release.

Balochistan’s match rescheduled for October 9

Balochistan and Northern were all set to lock horns with each other in the Match 20 of the National T20 Cup on October 6. However, because of the Covid cases in Balochistan’s camp, Northern will now play against Southern Punjab. Thus, the match between Northern and Balochistan is rescheduled for October 9.

The contest between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan will go ahead according to the schedule. As previously staged, the two teams will face each other on October 7. The latter team is expected to strengthen their squad with players from their Cricket Association Championship three-day tournament side.

It will be a bubble-to bubble transfer but the replacement players will have to undergo CT-PCR testing as per the PCB Covid-19 Protocols. The PCB is looking after this situation closely and it has also been decided that the frequency of testing will also be increased for the remainder of the tournament.

Pakistan players and support staff that are expected to be a part of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup will participate in the tournament on 6 and 7 October. Post that, they will shift to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup bubble that the PCB has set up according to the regulations of the ICC.

The PCB recently announced the national team’s departure schedule to UAE. The Babar Azam-led side is all set to leave Pakistanon October 15 via a chartered flight. All the members of the national team’s support staff will assemble in Lahore on October 8 and will quarantine for seven days. The highly anticipated mega-event will commence from October 17 while the final will be played on November 14.