Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan head coach, has tested positive for Covid-19 in Kingston, where Pakistan completed their series of four T20Is and two Tests against West Indies. Misbah will now stay on and complete his 10-day quarantine before travelling home, even as the rest of the Pakistan contingent leaves for Lahore late on Wednesday.
In a statement, the PCB said that Misbah, who is asymptomatic, “was the only Pakistan squad member who failed two pre-departure PCR tests”. “The PCB is constantly in touch with Cricket West Indies who have confirmed that Misbah will be shifted to another hotel for the 10-day quarantine with a medical specialist assigned to look after his health and well-being,” the statement said.
It was a rain-marred but largely successful tour for Pakistan. Their four-match T20I series had three games that ended in no-results because of the weather, but they won the only completed game, the second, by seven runs to take the series.
Then came the Test series, where West Indies clinched a thriller by one wicket to go 1-0 up, but Shaheen Afridi and Fawad Alam headlined Pakistan’s bounceback in the second Test to give them a 109-run series-squaring win on Tuesday.
Pakistan are now scheduled to host New Zealand for three ODIs (in Rawalpindi) and five T20Is (in Lahore) from September 17, with the visitors going across to Pakistan – after their tour of Bangladesh – for the first time in nearly 18 years.
As part of the home season, Pakistan are also expected to host England for two T20Is (before the Men’s T20 World Cup, in October), and Australia early next year.
