LAHORE: Wasim Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s chief executive, urged the national team to adhere strictly to the Covid-19 protocols put in place by the New Zealand authorities.

In a video message, soon after the news came that six cricketers had tested positive for Covid-19, Wasim said: “We know that it is tough time for everyone. But since the the players played maximum number of matches during the Covid-19 pandemic, they are requested to strictly follow the SOPs.“I have been in contact with New Zealand Cricket since the morning,” Wasim said.

It may be mentioned here that in June this year, official Covid-19 test of Mohammad Hafeez came out positive. But the next day Hafeez had another test on his own which came out negative, while raising questions over the authenticity of the official testing.

As per reliable sources, the six players declared Covid-19 positive include former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, wicket-keeper Rohail Nazir, fast bowler Nasim Shah, batsmen Danish Aziz, Abid Ali and pacer Muhammad Abbas.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020