Published: Jun 16, 2020, 10:57 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 16, 2020, 10:57 AM (IST)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has given go-ahead for the national cricket team’s upcoming tour of England. The clearance came after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani met with the former captain in Islamabad.
“The prime minister told Mani that the Pakistan team should go to England for the Test and T20 series as people want to see cricket and other sports activities to resume despite the coronavirus pandemic,” an unnamed PCB source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Imran asked Mani to ensure that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) puts all the safety regulations in place for the safety and well-being of all the players and officials who will be part of the touring party.
29 players and 14 officials will spend 14-days in quarantine after landing in England and then another three to four weeks in a bio-secure environment.
Pakistan and England will lock horns in three Tests and as many T20Is in August-September.
International cricket is set to resume with England hosting West Indies for a three-match Test series starting July 8.
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic that has upended the cricket calendar, several cricket boards are expecting financial losses but Imran has asked Mani to not terminate the services of any PCB employee.
“Imran made it clear to Mani not to end the services of anyone until the pandemic is going on due to the dire economic forecast and problems facing the people,” the source was quoted as saying.
Full Squad
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (Test captain), Babar Azam (Test vice-captain and T20I captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan, Yasir Shah
