PSL 2022: Another Peshawar Zalmi player tests positive for COVID-19

• Zazai tests positive for coronavirus.
• Wahab, Kamran, Iqbal already in isolation.
• Malik to lead Zalmi in Wahab's absence.

KARACHI: Peshwar Zalmi suffered a huge blow as, after their skipper, Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, and Hazratullah Zazai will also miss out on the opening match against Quetta Gladiators.

In Wahab's place, Shoaib Malik will lead the team for their opening match.

The members of the playing XI are now in quarantine as they have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Geo News, with the Zalmi finding it hard to finalise their match squad.

The Zalmi and Gladiators will face each other in the second match of the Pakistan Super League's (PSL) seventh edition at the National Stadium in Karachi. Multan Sultans had defeated Karachi Kings at the same venue a day earlier in the opening fixture.

Former Pakistan team captain and Quetta Gladiators all-rounder Shahid Afridi has also tested positive for COVID-19, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, Karachi Kings former skipper Imad Wasim and international player Jordan Thompson have tested positive for coronavirus yesterday, just a few hours before the start of the PSL.

Three days back, Karachi Kings President Wasim Akram had tested positive for COVID-19.

To ensure the continuation of action in these unprecedented COVID-19 times, the PCB has allowed each side to field a playing XI based on all local players in case they are unable to field foreign players and the matches will go ahead if a side has at least 13 players available.

The PCB has allowed each side a maximum of 20 players at any given time and the player replaced will be allowed to rejoin the side but will require the event technical committee’s approval.

National Stadium will host the first 15 matches till 7 February, before the action moves to Lahore, where Gaddafi Stadium, the home of Pakistan cricket, will stage the last 19 games from 10-27 February.