PCB disallows families from travelling with Pakistan players on England tour

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that the players won’t be able to take their families along with them on the tour of England. The decision was taken, as a precautionary measure, bearing in mind how contagious the COVID-19 has been. The tour gets underway on July 30 with the opening Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

The tour consists of three T20Is as well in Leeds, Cardiff and Southampton, starting August 29. The board said that the players can’t meet their families in person in the wake of the current pandemic situation.

“The board has made it clear to players their families can’t travel with them and also explained to them it would be of no use even if their families reached and stayed in England separately. The entire squad can’t interact with their families in person until the tour is completed in September,” a source in the PCB was quoted as saying in The New Indian Express.

14-day quarantine for Pakistan cricketers in Birmingham

It’s been learned that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will, reportedly, be spending around half a million pounds on a special chartered flight, which will carry 14 officials and 29 players from Pakistan to England.

“…this time the board has told the players that as soon as they reach England they will spend around 14 days in quarantine in Birmingham before they move on to Manchester after staying in isolation and in a bio-secure environment for around three to four weeks for their practice and training,” the source added.

The source also mentioned that Haris Sohail pulled out of the tour due to the restrictions on families. During the 2015 World Cup, Sohail claimed that he had spotted a ghost in his hotel room in New Zealand. Thereafter, the PCB gave him special permission to have his wife on every foreign tour.

Earlier, on Monday, June 15, the PCB got clearance from Prime Minister Imran Khan to go ahead with the tour. The ECB sees the series as a chance to avoid incurring further losses and earn around 70 to 75 million pounds from broadcast revenues. The board has said that if nothing takes place, then they could end up losing 380 million pounds approx.