A high-level meeting between Cricket West Indies and the Pakistan Cricket Board early Thursday will determine the fate of the tour of Pakistan after another five members of the touring contingent tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement issued at nearly midnight on Wednesday, CWI confirmed that the trio of batsman Shai Hope, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and uncapped all-rounder Justin Greaves, had all returned positive tests for the virus, along with assistant coach Roddy Estwick and team physician Dr Akshai Mansingh.
The latest batch of positive cases adds to the four recorded prior to the start of the series when left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers, and a non-coaching member of the support staff also returned positive tests.
With Devon Thomas picking up a finger injury and Darren Bravo struggling with a non-COVID-related illness, it means West Indies now have eight players unavailable for selection.
And CWI said Thursday’s meeting would be held “once all members of the touring party have been tested again, to determine whether the tour can continue”.
The third Twenty20 International is scheduled to bowl off at 6 pm (9 am Eastern Caribbean time).
The latest positive tests surfaced following PCR tests conducted Wednesday, as West Indies prepared for Thursday’s series finale at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Hope and Hosein featured in both T20 Internationals earlier this week while the 27-year-old Greaves, named in the One-Day International squad only, is yet to see action on tour.
For the 28-year-old Hope, it is the second time this year he has tested positive for COVID-19 after being ruled out of last February’s Super50 Cup in Antigua, along with his brother Kyle Hope.
The trio of Hope, Hosein and Greaves, along with Estwick and Dr Mansingh – the latter of whom was providing medical supervision to the initial batch of positive cases – will all now spend the next ten days in isolation, meaning they are unlikely to return to the Caribbean until after Christmas.
“All three players will therefore miss the upcoming matches and all five individuals will remain isolated from the rest of the West Indies squad and are now under the care and supervision provided by the medical officials,” the CWI statement said.
As per protocols, all members in isolation will have to return negative PCR tests before being released.
Originally, the tour was scheduled to run from December 13-22, and comprise three T20 Internationals and three ODIs.
West Indies lost Monday’s opening T20 International by 63 runs before also going down by nine runs in the second game on Tuesday.
Only last month, West Indies Women were forced to leave the 50-overs World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe prematurely, after the International Cricket Council abruptly aborted the tournament due to the emergence of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, which forced several major nations to slap travel restrictions on southern African countries.
The squad spent two weeks in the Gulf state of Oman before finally arriving in the Caribbean last weekend.
CMC
