After being declared COVID-19 positive, Mohammad Hafeez tests negative
Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has tested negative for coronavirus just after a day he was declared positive by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The 39-year-old Hafeez took to Twitter to announce that he underwent a second coronavirus test along with his family and has tested negative this time. Here are further details on the same.
What did the PCB announce on Tuesday?
On Tuesday, the PCB had announced that as many as seven players from Pakistan tested positive for novel coronavirus. The players include Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hasnain, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan. Earlier, the board had announced that Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Haider Ali have been diagnosed with the deadly virus.
Hafeez conducts a private test at a different lab
Senior batsman Hafeez conducted a private test at a different lab in Lahore for a "second opinion" for him and his family. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Hafeez had his second test done by the Chugtai Laboratory, whereas all the tests done by the PCB were conducted by Shaukat Khanum Laboratory.
All players to undergo another round of testing
The Pakistan cricket squad is set to leave for England on June 28. All players of the 29-man squad are due to undergo a further round of testing before the team's scheduled departure on Sunday. Players, who tested negative in the first round, will undergo second tests in Lahore on June 25 in a bio-secure environment.
What about the players who tested positive?
The players who have tested positive, including Hafeez, are not with the rest of the squad. They had been told by the board to isolate at home. These players will undergo another round of testing overseen by the PCB but from their own residences. Players who test negative then, will undergo a third round of testing. If negative, they will be allowed to travel.
England tour well on track: Wasim Khan
Despite the coronavirus scare, PCB's Chief Executive Wasim Khan said the squad will leave for England as planned. "The tour to England is very much on track," said Khan. "Fortunately, all the first-choice red-ball squad, barring Mohammad Rizwan, are negative, which means they can start training and practising immediately after they have been tested and given the all-clear when they arrive in England."
Players who tested negative
Players who tested negative: Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, and Yasir Shah.
Key details about Pakistan's tour of England
The tour will kick-off at Lord's with the first Test, before the teams move to Manchester and Nottingham for the remaining two matches. They will then travel north to Leeds to begin the T20Is, which will also be played in Cardiff and Southampton.
