Six members of the Pakistan cricket team on a tour of New Zealand have tested positive for Covid-19, said the country’s cricket board on Thursday, throwing preparations for the five-match series into turmoil and causing a scare in a country that has largely eradicated the virus. According to an NZC release, four are new cases, while two of the positive results have been deemed “historical”.
It is unclear whether the six who tested positive are players or other members of Pakistan’s touring party. The six who tested positive will be moved to the quarantine arm of the managed isolation facility in Christchurch. The squad’s “exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed”, the governing body said.
New Zealand’s ministry of health said 53 team members passed a symptom check before leaving Lahore and were tested on arrival in Christchurch on November 24.
Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman had been left out of the tour as a precautionary measure after showing possible symptoms of Covid-19.
The ministry 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. Pakistan are due to play three T20Is on December 18, 20 and 22 in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier, respectively, before playing two Tests in Mount Maunganui (December 26-30) and Christchurch (January 3-7).
