Pak vs SL: Pakistan squad member contracts COVID-19

Spokesperson for Pakistan cricket team says Masseur Malang Ali's on-arrival RAT test came back positive; squad reaches Sri Lanka

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Sports Desk
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Skipper Babar Azam (left) and wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan (right) walk back to the pavilion after innings end in this undated photo. — Twitter/File
Skipper Babar Azam (left) and wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan (right) walk back to the pavilion after innings end in this undated photo. — Twitter/File

  • Pakistan team spokesperson says Masseur Malang Ali's on-arrival RAT test came back positive.
  • Says COVID-19 affected member will undergo five-day isolation period.
  • Pakistani Test squad arrived in Sri Lanka Thursday morning.


A member of the player support personnel of the Pakistan Test squad has tested positive for COVID-19 and sent into five days isolation, the spokesperson for the Pakistan cricket team said Thursday, as the green shirts gear up for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

The spokesperson said that Masseur Malang Ali's test came back positive during an on-arrival rapid antigen test (RAT). He said that the affected staff member will now undergo a five-day isolation period and will be allowed to join the squad after returning a negative RAT test on the fifth day.

Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for a two-match Test series slated to take place on July 16. The Pakistani team arrived in Sri Lanka today (Thursday) morning. 

The cricketers participated in a pool session after arrival, while the first training session will be held tomorrow, the spokesperson said.

Squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah