Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Haider Ali test positive for COVID-19; won’t travel to England on June 28

Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Haider Ali test positive for COVID-19: Three current Pakistani cricketers have been tested positive recently.

Pakistan spinner Shadab Khan, fast bowler Haris Rauf and uncapped batsman Haider Ali have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rawalpindi. All three players were part of Pakistan’s 29-member squad for their upcoming tour of England.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board, the three players are asymptomatic and will have to practice self-isolation. In addition to the trio, all-rounder Imad Wasim and pacer Usman Shinwari were also tested in Rawalpindi but have resulted negative.

As far as the cricket fraternity is concerned, Shadab Khan, Rauf and Haider Ali are among the others including former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, former batsman Taufeeq Umar, former first-class player Zafar Sarfaraz, former Scotland spinner Majid Haq and veteran Bangladesh pacer Mashrafe Mortaza to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Tested Positive for COVID-19. Fortunately I am very much stable . Remember me in your precious prayers. Take every kind of precautions , follow SOPs, save yourself , your family and people around you.

— Haris Rauf (@HarisRauf14) June 22, 2020

Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Haider Ali test positive for COVID-19

While the three players will miss the chartered flight to England on June 28, they might travel at a later date provided they recover after 14 days and subsequently test negative for COVID-19. It is worth mentioning that all players will be tested again upon reaching England.

Talking about the other Pakistani players, all of them (excluding veteran batsman Shoaib Malik) have given their samples and their results are expected to be out today. The players who will be tested negative will be shifted to a premium location in Lahore before they board the chartered flight to England later this week.

It was as recent as yesterday that PCB Director of Sports Medicine Dr. Sohail Saleem considered the tour of England as a “risk”. Speaking during a video conference, Saleem had laid emphasis on adhering to instructions and precautions but didn’t rule out the possible risk factor.

“It is a big risk. We can’t really say it’s not a risk. We are trying to build a new normal, redefining etiquette – respiratory marks, hand washing… it is a combination of many thing to make sure that we are keeping safe or reducing the risk factor to the minimum. Cricket isn’t a contact sport. The only source (of contact) is the cricket ball. Two different analyses confirmed that the chances of transmitting the virus through sweat are less, while you cannot use saliva at all.

“Thinking that we are moving ahead with a zero percent viral load, that’s not right. You can control it by precautions and following the WHO guidelines to keep the environment and the people involved clean. There are protocols. During the England tour, players will go through another test [upon landing] and then undergo a test every five days. Going out during a pandemic is a risk, but you have to go by the available research and information, and take whatever precautions to reduce the risk,” Saleem had said.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

Read More