Three members of the Pakistan men's national cricket team — Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan — have tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of the team's upcoming tour of England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Monday.

The players had shown no symptoms of Covid-19 until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday, the press release said.

"The PCB medical panel is in contact with the three [players] who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation," it added.

According to the PCB, Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari, who were also screened in Rawalpindi, tested negative for the virus and will travel to Lahore on June 24.

Other players and team officials, excluding Cliffe Deacon, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis, also underwent tests at their respective centres in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Monday. Their results are expected at some point on Tuesday, the PCB said.

The Covid-19 tests of Pakistan’s entire England-bound squad comprising 43 members — including 29 players and 14 officials — were to be held today at their respective cities of residence, Dawn had earlier reported.

The team is most likely to leave for England on June 28 on a chartered flight to be arranged by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the hosts of the series, comprising three Tests and as many T20Is, to be held in August and September.

After reaching England, the squad is likely to stay in Birmingham for a 14-day quarantine period before starting the camp training.

https://dawn.com/news/3001000/three-pakistan-cricketers-test-positive-for-coronavirus-ahead-of-england-tour