Ramiz Raja, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), hinted on Wednesday that rescheduled One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against the West Indies, which were postponed due to Covid-19 cases in the tourists’ squad during their visit last year, without strict coronavirus protocols or in a bio-secure bubble could be played in June.
The three One-Day Internationals were initially intended to be part of the West Indies’ December tour to Pakistan but were rescheduled when in a single day among the visitors’ team five positive Covid-19 cases were recorded, including three players. As a result, after three Twenty20 Internationals, the team had to leave. Earlier in the trip, three other players from the team had tested positive.
Last month, the PCB stated that the West Indies will come to Pakistan on June 5 to play the postponed One-Day International matches in Rawalpindi on June 8, 10, and 12. The matches may be played under “regular conditions,” according to the PCB’s chairman. He did, however, realize the risks of taking the chance. However, Raja stated that the PCB’s medical board was separately investigating the case.
“The only issue is if one of the players contracts with Covid. “It (the virus) spreads so quickly that calling replacements from so far away (the Caribbean) would be impossible,” he explained, adding that “in a seven-day window, one case might influence the entire series.” ” He said, “It’s a double-edged sword.”
The PCB chairperson stated that “the information we have received from our medical board suggests that things may be a bit relaxed since the virus isn’t so bad anymore.”
His declaration comes after three Australian players tested positive for the coronavirus after visiting Pakistan for the first time in 24 years and wrapping up the trip yesterday.
