LAHORE: Fast bowler Mohammad Amir on Friday left for England to join the Pakistan squad there.

Left-armer Amir and masseur Muhammad Imran both left for England after clearing back-to-back Covid-19 tests. They will also appear for the same test in England immediately upon reaching there, and will also pass a 14-day quarantine period to become full part of the Pakistan squad comprising 28 players and 14 officials.

Meanwhile, experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik was also set to leave for England on Friday but the player’s departure was delayed further because he is yet to meet his family living in India.

As the Indian government has the plan to lift air travelling from July 31, Shoaib may now be available to the Pakistan team in England in the second week of August.

Like Amir, Shoaib will be part of only Pakistan’s Twenty20 campaign in England. The three-game T20 series begins after the Test series on Aug 28.

Shoaib’s chances of featuring in the T20 rubber depend on how early he goes to England after meeting his family, whom he could not see during the last four months or so due to travel restrictions in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2020