Inzamam not happy with PCB's medical staff
Former Pakistan skipper and legendary batsman, Inzamam-ul-Haq has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board's medical staff for not looking after the players as well as it is expected from them.
After the emergence of the news that ten Pakistani players, who were named in the squad that is to tour England soon, tested positive for COVID-19, Inzamam-ul-Haq took to his YouTube channel to castigate the PCB. He claimed that he has learned from sources that the PCB's medical staff is not tending well to the affected players:
“The players who have tested positive would have thought that PCB is not supporting them at this difficult time. My sources have told me that the PCB’s medical staff did not attend calls of these players during the past couple of days, which is a really bad attitude. I would request the PCB to properly look after these players because if you don’t then incidents, like Hafeez getting himself tested privately, will happen."
The 50-year old former chief selector also urged upon the PCB to keep the players at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore rather than making them to observe quarantine and self-isolation in their respective homes:
“PCB should have kept these players [who tested positive] at the NCA, because there is enough space there, rather than telling them to self-isolate at their homes. They are our players and we need to look after them so that they can fully recover."
On Tuesday, PCB confirmed that 10 players and 1 member of the support personnel from the original 35 people to travel had tested positive. These included Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Malang Ali (support staff).
However, upon retesting the whole squad including the support staff members on Thursday, six of these players have now tested negative, PCB's CEO, Wasim Khan, announced today.
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, and Shadab Khan are the players whose tests have come out negative after they originally tested positive not so long ago. These players have now been cleared to travel to the UK alongside the rest of the squad that departs on Sunday.
Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match Test series against England followed by as many T20Is in the window of August and September. The tentative schedule of the tour is as follows:
1st Test: August 5, Manchester
2nd Test: August 13, Southampton
3rd Test: August 21, Southampton
1st T20I: August 29, Southampton
2nd T20I: August 31, Southampton
3rd T20I: September 2, Southampton