former captain rashid latif flays PCB

Former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif on Thursday blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its unprofessional approach as 10 players tested positive for Covid-19. 

He said the board failed to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs). 

“I went over to the stadium for one day and saw the players practicing together without any form of social distancing. He said when I was on the ground, I maintained a safe distance from everyone,” said Latif in an interview on YouTube. 

Speaking to Dr. Nauman, who hosts the show Caught Behind on YouTube, Latif said the PCB should have been strict in enforcing the SOPs to ensure players maintained safe distance from each other. 

His criticism comes a day after Pakistan’s tour of England was cast in doubt as 10 players of the 29-member squad, scheduled to leave for Manchestar on June 28 (Sunday), and some of the support staff members tested positive for Covid-19. 

Latif also blamed players for failing to observe the SOPs. He said that some of the players, who have tested Covid-19 positive, were advising people on social media to maintain distance but themselves failed to follow their own advice. 

He said the PCB can call in the reserve players and test them before asking them to travel to Manchestar. “The selection committee must start looking for replacements. But these replacements have to be tested as well,” he emphasised.

Hafeez tests positive, negative

After the PCB on Wednesday said that at least 10 players of the national squad had tested positive for Covid-19, one of the players Mohammad Hafeez got himself re-tested. 

Posting his test results online, Hafeez said “after testing positive for Covid-19 according to the PCB testing report yesterday, as second opinion and for satisfaction, i personally went to get tested again along with my family and here I along with all my family members are reported negative Alham du Lillah. May Allah keep us all safe.”

However, his move to post the Covid-19 test results on Twitter did not sit well with the Pakistan Cricket Board. PCB Chief Executive Mohammad Wasim said that Hafeez should have consulted with the board before posting his results online. 

Wasim said that Hafeez’s move has put a question mark on the results of other players putting the board’s testing techniques in bad repute.