PCB asks 240 players and officials to pay for their COVID tests ahead of National T20 Cup

The domestic cricket is finally back in Pakistan after a long halt due to the pandemic. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is trying to make sure that all the players and the officials are in a safe environment. The board has made it mandatory for everyone to get themselves tested for COVID-19 twice, before entering the bio-secure bubble.

The National T20 Cup, a domestic T20 tournament of Pakistan, is going to start from 30th September. The board  has made it mandatory for the players and officials appearing in the National event to return two negative COVID-19 tests before they are cleared to play in the tournament happening in Rawalpindi and Multan.

Moreover, as per a report in InsideSport, the board has also asked the 240 players and officials to pay for their initial tests. They have not prescribed any specific laboratory or institute from where the test has to be conducted. PCB has mentioned that they will be paying for the second tests of players and the official. “The initial test the players, officials and stakeholders have to pay for themselves,” a PCB source said.

The ‘new normal’ of cricket in Pakistan

The source said the board has already started creating a detailed bio-secure environment at both venues to ensure the tournament goes smoothly. The National T20 championship is the domestic T20 tournament which has been the competition to provide local talents to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Zimbabwe is also expected to your Pakistan in November this year as it will be the first international series in the country since the pandemic-enforced break.

The cricket is taking its steps towards resuming in recent months. Earlier, the sport suffered for a few months due to COVID-19 and no cricket was played from March to June. England became the first nation to resume cricket as they hosted the Caribbean team, Pakistan and Australia.

Notably, PCB paid for all the COVID tests of all the members of the Pakistan contingent which toured England. There were 42 members in that group. Reportedly, BCCI is spending almost INR 10 crores on getting the players tested for COVID-19 throughout the course of IPL in UAE this year.