Published 12:41 IST, June 27th 2020
Mohammad Hafeez ridiculously tests COVID-19 positive after giving another PCB-backed test
Mohammad Hafeez is likely to face disciplinary action from the PCB as instead of going into isolation after the first test result, he went for another test.
Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has once again tested positive for COVID-19. The right-hander was among the ten players from the national side who tested positive for COVID-19 recently. However, Mohammad Hafeez was not satisfied with the result as he underwent another test on a personal capacity, which returned negative.
England vs Pakistan 2020: Mohammad Hafeez once again tests positive for coronavirus
But now in a strange turn of events, the veteran Pakistan batsman has once again tested positive for coronavirus. According to a source in the board, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital started by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan back in 1994, which tested the players and officials, did a retest of the earlier sample they had taken from Mohammad Hafeez and it again came positive for COVID-19.
The source said that this is a very intriguing situation for the board. He added that it will be interesting to see what is the result of the second test taken by the 10 players, who tested positive in the first test earlier this week will come. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that they will announce results of all the tests on Saturday.
The source reckoned that if Mohammad Hafeez again tests positive on Saturday, he is likely to face disciplinary action from the PCB as instead of going into isolation after the first test result, he preferred to do get a second test done. However, another source close to Mohammad Hafeez defended his action saying that the player was disturbed after his first test came positive and was concerned for his immediate family. He added that is why Mohammad Hafeez took a second test privately as a precautionary measure and he had no intention to embarrass the authorities.
If the result of the second test of the players comes positive, they will miss out on the flight to England. The cricketers who will miss out will be replaced by substitutes, who will have to undergo a quarantine process.
England vs Pakistan 2020: Mohammad Hafeez slammed by the PCB
After undergoing the COVID-19 Test on a personal capacity, PCB's CEO Wasim Khan spoke to Mohammad Hafeez and let him know about the board's displeasure towards his actions. While speaking on a YouTube channel named Cricket Baaz, Wasim Khan said that he spoke to Mohammad Hafeez and made it clear to him that the PCB was disappointed by the way he had handled the entire affair. Wasim Khan added that as an individual, Mohammad Hafeez has a right to take a private test but he should have informed the PCB first.
Khan believes that now Hafeez has created a problem for the PCB. Khan claimed that this is not the first time that Mohammad Hafeez has breached their rules on social media. Wasim Khan reckoned that Mohammad Hafeez doesn’t have a central contract but once he is selected for the Pakistan team, he has to abide by the rules and regulations for all players especially pertaining to the use of social media. He confirmed that the PCB is still looking at the matter because it has caused them a lot of problems.
IMAGE COURTESY: MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ INSTAGRAM
Updated 12:41 IST, June 27th 2020