Sarfaraz, Abbas rejoin rest of squad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cricketers Sarfaraz Ahmad and Mohammad Abbas have rejoined the rest of the squad in Christchurch after it was declared that their non-infectious Covid-19 virus posed no threat to others.

There are now five players who have yet to be given the all-clear by New Zealand’s Ministry of Health to rejoin their team-mates. The ministry, however, has yet to share the results of the second tests conducted on these five players.

“Both Sarfaraz and Abbas have rejoined other team members on the same floor,” an official accompanying the team said on Monday. “We have asked them to share the details of the second Covid-19 tests conducted on the other five players also as the Ministry of Health has yet to share those details with the team management.”

Meanwhile, all the players underwent their third Covid-19 tests in New Zealand.

“It is the third time in the last six days that all the members of the contingent have undergone tests. Hopefully, these tests will be decisive as far as the status of every member of the squad is concerned. In a few days’ time we will also be in a position to ascertain the exact status of the positive cases,” he said.

He hoped players would return negative results as that would put things back on track and all players would be free to restart training and nets at the space available for the purpose during the quarantine period.

Meanwhile, members of the contingent have been given a specific time to walk and jog in front of the hotel, a facility they are utilizing regularly.

The team’s assistant manager Shahid Aslam is still in quarantine in Auckland. “He will join the team in Christchurch as soon as his quarantine period is over,” the official said.