The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was recently in the news when it announced the men’s central contract list for 2020-21 and made Babar Azam the ODI skipper. Now once again, PCB is in the headlines but for a completely different reason.
The apex Pakistani board on Wednesday issued a warning to national ODI and T20 skipper Babar and some other players for violating its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) amidst the ongoing Coronavirus situation. The warning was in the context of a few Pakistani players who practised together at a local club in Lahore.
It all happened when a video of Babar practising with other teammates such as opener Imam-ul-Haq, speedster Naseem Shah and some local players went viral on social media. The cricketers were seen training at the Abdul Qadir Cricket Academy. The academy is located near PCB’s headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium.
As per media reports, a PCB source claimed that anxieties were raised because Babar, Imam and Nasim had not undertaken appropriate health and safety measures while training.
Earlier, the PCB on Tuesday had cancelled its decision to conduct a training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore ahead of the upcoming tour of England. The reason cited out was the failure to build a “bio-secure” environment due to lack of rooms in the residential complex.
In the upcoming days, Pakistan are set to play three Tests and ODIs against England, which most probably might happen in the month of August. For this tour, the Pakistan team is expected to enter the UK four weeks prior to complete the required quarantine period.
