Coronavirus: Hafeez's negative report raises doubts on PCB's testing
Jun 24, 2020
Lahore [Pakistan], June 24 : After testing positive for coronavirus, Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez once again underwent the test and on Wednesday revealed, that he has now tested negative.
Hafeez shared the report of his latest coronavirus Test on Twitter and said that he opted to go for another examination for his personal satisfaction.
"After testing positive COVID-19 acc to PCB testing Report yesterday, as 2nd opinion and for satisfaction I personally went to Test it again along with my family, and here I along with my all family members are reported Negative," Hafeez tweeted.
On Tuesday, PCB had confirmed that seven more players, including Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, and Wahab Riaz, tested positive for coronavirus.
Besides, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hasnain, and Mohammad Rizwan are the other players who have been diagnosed with the virus.
However, with Hafeez's negative tests, PCB may come under scrutiny for its COVID testing strategies.
As per Dawn.com, Pakistan has so far reported 1,88,926 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
With Mohammad Hafeez now testing negative, perhaps it is the first time that someone has tested both positive and negative for coronavirus in a matter of two days.
With seven new cases, the total number of Pakistani cricketers who have contracted COVID-19 had reached 10 on Tuesday. Earlier, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan had tested positive for coronavirus.
Apart from the aforementioned players, a player support personnel, Malang Ali, has also tested positive for the virus.
"Following the announcement yesterday that three players had tested positive for COVID-19, the Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday confirmed that a further seven players and a player support personnel from a total of 35 have tested positive for COVID-19. The PCB had organised these 35 tests in Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar on Monday," PCB said in a statement.
Players who have tested negative are Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, and Yasir Shah. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and batting coach Younis Khan also tested negative.
The PCB medical panel is already in contact with these players and the masseur, who have been instructed to observe strict quarantine at their homes.PCB said that players and player support personnel, who have tested negative, will assemble in a bio-secure environment in Lahore on June 24 and will undergo the second round of testing the day after.
The players and player support personnel, who will test negative on June 25, will depart for Manchester. Within 24 hours after arriving in the UK, they will be tested by the ECB medical panel.
The players and player support personnel, who will test negative upon arrival in the UK, will observe a quarantine period as per the UK government's regulations but will be allowed to train and practice in a bio-secure facility.
According to series SOPs, the Pakistan men's national cricket team will undergo, at least, five tests in the lead up to the first test against England.
PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said the tour to England is 'very much' on track and the team will depart on June 28."
The tour to England is very much on track and the side will depart as per schedule on 28 June.
