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The West Indies will be without left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers for their One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) series away to Pakistan this month, after all three players and an unnamed staff member tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Karachi.
According to the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Media, all four are ‘fully vaccinated and are without major symptoms’. They will remain isolated from the rest of the squad, under the care and supervision of team physician Dr Akshai Mansingh, for 10 days in the first instance. But they must return negative PCR test results before their isolation can be ended.
(via CWI Media)
With the last of the tour’s six encounters scheduled for December 22, their absence of the four will be keenly felt. For a variety of reasons, the squad is already without injured captain Kieron Pollard as well as all-rounders Jason Holder, Andre Russell and Fabian Allen, batsmen Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer and Lendl Simmons, and pacer Obed McCoy.
“Despite this significant setback to our preparation plans, we are confident that the tour can continue as everyone else returned negative PCRs prior on their arrival in Pakistan and two negative PCRs since they have been in Karachi,” said CWI CEO Johnny Grave. “The risk of Covid-19 infection is impossible to remove completely from a cricket tour, in spite of the fact that many of our players have been living in bio-secure bubbles almost continuously since before the CPL.
“This unusual loss of three players from our squad will seriously impact our team preparations, but the rest of the squad are in good spirits and will begin training today ahead of our first game on Monday.”
West Indies start their three-match T20I Series on Monday 13 December at the Karachi National Stadium, with just the 12 available players. They are slightly better staffed for the ODI Series which bowls off on 18 December as Chase is the only one of the trio of players on the roster for the 50-over contest.
(Copyright The Cricketer)
(West Indies teams)
One-Day International: Shai Hope (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
T20 International: Nicholas Pooran (captain), Shai Hope (vice-captain), Darren Bravo, Dominic Drakes, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
Tour Schedule
13 December — 1st T20I, Karachi
14 December — 2nd T20I, Karachi
16 December — 3rd T20I, Karachi
18 December — 1st ODI, Karachi
20 December — 2nd ODI, Karachi
22 December — 3rd ODI, Karachi
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