PCB confirms multiple bio-bubble breaches during PSL 2021: Reports
The Pakistan Cricket Board's independent fact-finding committee has confirmed multiple bio-bubble breaches during PSL 2021 in Karachi.
The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League began on February 20, 2021, at Karachi's National Stadium. The organizers planned to conduct the tournament in Lahore and Karachi only.
However, multiple foreign players, local players, and support staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during the Karachi leg.
As a result, the PCB postponed PSL 2021 indefinitely on March 4, 2021, before the tourney even moved to Lahore. The PCB then appointed a two-member committee comprising infectious disease experts to determine what went wrong inside the bio-bubble.
According to PTI, Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood and Dr. Salma Muhammad Abbas have submitted their report to the PCB.
Sources close to the development have confirmed that the report does not blame any single player or team owner, but does state multiple bio-bubble breaches.
The PCB received this report last Wednesday. Pakistan Cricket Board's top officials will now go through it thoroughly before deciding their next actions.
Some stakeholders tried to draw PCB's attention to the bio-bubble breaches during PSL 2021: Sources
Sources further claim a few stakeholders contacted the Pakistan Cricket Board to try to draw the board's attention towards the breaches. However, PCB officials did not respond to the stakeholders' complaints at the time.
Dr. Sohail Saleem, head of the PCB's medical and sports sciences department, has already submitted his resignation to the board.
The PCB has confirmed that it will take strict action against those employees who ignored the stakeholders' complaints during PSL 2021.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly decided to resume PSL 2021 in June later this year.