Haider Ali has also been withdrawn from Pakistan’s upcoming tours of England and West Indies, with Sohaib Maqsood named as his replacement
Peshawar Zalmi duo Haider Ali and Umaid Asif have been suspended from the Pakistan Super League final against Multan Sultans, scheduled for June 24, after they admitted to breaching the tournament’s bio-secure environment.
The decision, which was made by the tournament’s Covid-19 management panel comprising of PCB CEO Salman Naseer and PSL commercial director Babar Hamid, relates to an incident on Wednesday (June 23) which involved the pair meeting people from outside their designated bio-secure bubble and failing to maintain social distancing.
They have not been in contact with any other squad members since the incident and have been placed in room isolation.
Haider Ali, who has scored 116 runs in nine appearances for Peshawar in 2021, has also been withdrawn from Pakistan’s upcoming white-ball tours of England and West Indies. Chief selector, Muhammad Wasim, in consultation with captain, Babar Azam, and head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq, has named Sohaib Maqsood as his replacement.
Multan Sultans batter Maqsood has scored 363 runs in 11 appearances this season, posting an average of 40.33 and a strike rate of 152.52. He is currently third overall in the run standings, behind Azam and teammate Mohammad Rizwan.
The 34-year-old has represented Pakistan in 26 ODIs and 20 T20Is, scoring 735 runs and 221 runs, respectively. His last international appearance came against New Zealand in Wellington in January 2016.