Kashif Bhatti, Haider Ali and Imran Khan were the three players who joined the Pakistan squad in the second week of July. (PCB)
Kashif Bhatti, one of the players in the Pakistan squad currently stationed in England, joined the team after testing negative in the latest test results for Covid-19.
Bhatti, a 33-year-old spinner, had been one of the players who had joined the team separately, after having initially tested positive while in Pakistan. He had been cleared to fly to England to join the side, as they prepare for the Test and T20I series, after two consecutive negative tests in the second week of July.
Initially, there was confusion over the initial positive test in the UK but an ECB spokesperson said it was “for the remnants of a previous Covid-19 infection”. “The player had returned a positive test result for the remnants of a previous Covid-19 infection and in consultation with Public Health England and a virologist, a safety-first approach was taken to isolate the player,” the spokesperson was quoted by espncricinfo as saying. “The player has now returned a second negative test with no risk of infection to other players and staff.”
Pakistan training and practice session underway at Derbyshire County Ground, Derby. pic.twitter.com/jVGvBAPjdK
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) July 15, 2020
Bhatti tested negative on July 1 and 4. He joined the squad in Worcester on July 8. The squad travelled to Derbyshire earlier this week to play some practice matches.
Reportedly PCB is not mandated to reveal Covid-19 status of it’s players currently in UK due to already agreed bio-secure-protocols with @ECB however my sources say officials are waiting for the result of Kashif Bhatti second PCR test to asses the situation.
— Aalia Rasheed (@aaliaaaliya) July 16, 2020
The upcoming series vs England comprises three Test matches and three T20Is in August and September. All six games will be played behind closed doors.