PAK vs NZ: Mohammad Nawaz tests Covid-19 positive ahead of limited-overs series

Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has returned a Covid-19 positive test and has been subsequently quarantined in accordance with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s protocols. The left-arm spinner tested positive during the second round of testing, which was administered upon his arrival in Islamabad on Wednesday (September 8).

Nawaz’s positive result comes right before Pakistan is set to host New Zealand for three ODIs followed by five T20Is, scheduled to be played between September 17 to October 3. Nawaz is a part of the 20-member squad announced by the PCB earlier this month.

It is learnt that all the other squad members have tested negative and will practice as per schedule in Rawalpindi, the venue for all three ODIs before the teams move to Lahore for the 20-over fixtures.

New Zealand, who are currently 1-3 behind against Bangladesh in a five-match T20I series, will be touring Pakistan after nearly two decades, with their last tour on these shores of the world dating back to 2003. The team is set to arrive in the nation on September 11, only a day after the Bangladesh tour gets concluded.

Crowds up to 25% capacity allowed for the series

The PCB has obtained National Command and Operation Centre approval to have crowds to the extent of 25% during the limited-overs series, as a result of which around 4,500 spectators will be able to attend the ODIs scheduled on 17, 19 and 21 September at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and approximately 5,500 spectators will be in attendance for the ensuing T20Is scheduled on September 25, 26, 29, and October 1 and 3 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

However, as a precaution, the NCOC has mandated the spectators to produce the immunization certificate to gain entry inside the stadiums, while only fully vaccinated individuals would be allowed to enter.

Meanwhile, the series clashing with the second half of the Indian Premier League, which commences from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates after being postponed earlier this year due to the emergence of Covid-19 cases inside the bio-secure environment, means that a host of New Zealand’s IPL-bound players are missing from the visitors’ ranks.