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NZ vs PAK: Six Pakistan cricketers test positive for Covid-19

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Nov 26, 2020, 01:13 PM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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Six players from the Pakistan cricket team tested positive for COVID-19. The positive reports from the Pakistan camp have thrown the preparations for the five-match series into jeopardy while causing scare in a country that has managed to control the coronavirus.

Six players from the Pakistan cricket team tested positive for COVID-19. The positive reports from the Pakistan camp have thrown the preparations for the five-match series into jeopardy while causing scare in a country that has managed to control the coronavirus.

The Pakistan squad’s "exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed", the governing body said, adding that the six positive players would be moved into strict quarantine. 

New Zealand’s ministry of health said that 53 team members passed a symptom check before leaving Lahore and were tested in Christchurch upon their arrival on November 24.

While six players have now come back positive, two of the cases are believed to be "historical". 

New Zealand Health said the participating players will now "be tested a minimum of four times while in managed isolation" and the entire squad would be confined to their rooms. 

New Zealand Health also revealed that "several team members have been seen on CCTV at the facility breaching managed isolation rules, despite clear, consistent and detailed communication of expected behaviours". 

"The team as a whole has been issued with a final warning," it said. 

"It is a privilege to come to New Zealand to play sport, but in return, teams must stick to the rules that are designed to keep Covid-19 out of our communities and keep our staff safe," said top health official Ashley Bloomfield. 

New Zealand has registered just 1,684 cases since the pandemic began.

Even before Pakistan embarked on a journey to Kiwi soil, Pakistan’s tour was hit by ill-health after opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out at the 11th hour with persistent fever. 

The 30-year-old left-hander tested negative along with the rest of the squad. 

The tour, with three Twenty20 internationals and two Tests, is scheduled to begin on December 18 in Auckland.

(With AFP inputs)