PCB left red-faced after 6 Pakistan players test COVID-19 positive on New Zealand arrival

The Pakistan cricket team touched base in New Zealand with a 35-member squad this year for the much anticipated New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020 series. While the fans of the cricketing nations expressed their delight over the upcoming battle between the two sides, a major roadblock has come in the way of the tour. The Pakistan contingent is under managed isolation in Christchurch, and it was recently reported that six players from the side have tested positive for COVID-19.

New Zealand vs Pakistan 2020: Trouble for PCB as Six Pakistani players test COVID-19 positive

Cricket in New Zealand has finally resumed and with the West Indies and Pakistan series lined-up, fans were overjoyed with the prospect of international matches in the country. However, with the latest reports of Pakistani cricketers testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, things could change drastically. Out of the six cricketers who have tested positive, four cases are deemed to be new ones, whereas two are stated to be historical. None of the players have been named so far in an official press release by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Thursday.

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The Pakistan team, who was permitted to train during their quarantine period, will no longer be granted permission to practice until the investigation regarding the positive cases is complete. According to multiple reports, several players from the Pakistan contingent were also seen breaching self-isolation norms. A similar case was observed with the West Indies players as well. 

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Pakistan squad for New Zealand 2020

The touring nation traveled to New Zealand with a 35-member squad. The two sides will battle it out in a 3-match T20I series, which will be followed by two Test matches. Prolific batsman Babar Azam who has been the country's captain in white-ball cricket for some time now was also named as the leader for the Test squad. Here is the complete Pakistan squad for New Zealand 2020: 

Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Fawad Alam, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Haider Ali, Imam-Ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Babar Azam, Danish Aziz, Imran Butt, Amad Butt, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Sohail Khan, Zeeshan Malik, Shan Masood, Mohammad Musa, Rohail Nazir, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Khushdil Shah, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Haris Sohail, Hussain Talat, Imad Wasim

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Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman was also scheduled to be a part of the squad, however, he was ultimately ruled out as he failed to recover from a fever. Pakistan and New Zealand are slated to lock horns in the 1st T20I of the series on December 18. It remains to be seen if there are any changes made to the schedule considering the current situation in the Pakistani camp. 

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Image source: Pakistan Cricket Twitter