Pakistan series not in doubt despite positive Covid-19 tests, says Ashley Giles

Pakistan are due to depart on June 28, but cirector of England men's cricket Giles insists that - with matches still six weeks away - there is leeway to ensure the campaign goes ahead as planned

Latest England news

Archer: I'm fit enough to play all three Windies Tests

England’s proposed Test series with Pakistan is not yet in doubt despite several of the touring party testing positive for Covid-19, the ECB’s director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles has said.

Pakistan are due to take on England in three Tests in August but three of their 28-man squad are currently in self-isolation back home.

Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan and Haider Ali are all asymptomatic but must now complete two weeks of quarantine before being allowed to travel to the UK. The three were expected to feature predominantly in the white-ball leg of the trip, which is due to feature three T20 internationals. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board are expected to announce more results from a further tranche of testing on Tuesday, and there are some concerns that more positive outcomes could put the trip in jeopardy. Two players - Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari - returned negative coronavirus tests on Monday.

Pakistan are due to depart on June 28, but Giles insists that - with matches still six weeks away - there is leeway to ensure the campaign goes ahead as planned.

^{Haris Rauf is among the Pakistan players to have tested positive for Covid-19}

“It’s a concern. We’re most concerned about those players who have tested positive and about their welfare,” he said.

“At the moment I don’t think the series is in doubt. We’re far away enough from the start of the Test series to not worry about that too much at the moment.

“There’s some more test results coming out later from the rest of the group so we’re still hopeful that the Pakistan team will be arriving in the country very soon.”

England’s players check into the bio-secure Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday, where they will spend the next three weeks - two weeks of build-up followed by the first Test.

Social distancing measures will be strictly implemented, face masks will be worn away from practice and one-way systems implemented around the venue as organisers attempt to mitigate risk. 

West Indies will make the trip down from Emirates Old Trafford next week.

“All of this has uncertainty still, even the West Indies series. We know how fast-moving this situation has been around the world. We’ve been very careful at every step but do we really know what’s around the corner? No,” Giles said.

NOW READ: England set to check in to bio-secure Ageas Bowl ahead of strange summer

“In the Pakistan team’s case, the situation in Pakistan is not great at the moment and our thoughts go out to the whole country. Clearly it’s important we get those guys in the country and we can get on with our series, but first thing’s first the West Indies are ahead of us and we go into bubble today - and we’re pretty excited about that.”

The number of cases of Covid-19 in Pakistan have been steadily rising in recent days, and more than 185,000 have been recorded in the country in total, with almost 4,000 having lost their lives to the disease.

“There are a number of hurdles to cross. We are waiting on those other test results. We are still far enough out, even if a number of those results were still positive. This is the difference with international sport - we need to get our opposition in country,” Giles said.

“Anything that puts that at risk or in danger is clearly a problem. It’s such a far-reaching issue, as we know - it’s a global issue that is affecting everyone - and there are far more important things going on than sport.

“We’re hopeful that if we can get international sport on it will be a real filip for people around the world.”

Save 30% when you subscribe to The Cricketer’s print & digital bundle. £35 for 12 issues

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on everything England - including leading coverage of England in India, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.