Six Pakistan cricketers test positive for COVID, training put on hold; NZC says protocol breach
Christchurch: Six touring Pakistan cricketers have tested positive for COVID-19 here, New Zealand Cricket announced on Thursday, alleging a breach of the bio-secure protocol by the visitors who will not be allowed to train while in quarantine for the time being.
A jumbo Pakistan squad, led by Babar Azam, arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday and is serving a mandatory 14-day quarantine period as per COVID-19 protocol.
"Two of these six results have been deemed 'historical'; four have been confirmed as new," NZC said in a statement without revealing the names of the players who have tested positive for the dreaded virus.
All six members of the squad will be moved to the quarantine arm of a managed isolation facility. Pakistan is here for three T20 Internationals and two Tests. The series begins on December 18 in Auckland.
"As a consequence, the Pakistan team's exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed," the NZC stated.
The home board also spoke of a protocol breach but did not specify the exact nature of it.
"Separately, NZC has also been made aware that some members of the Pakistan team had contravened protocols on the first day of managed isolation.
"We will be having discussions with the tourists to assist them in understanding the requirements," the NZC statement added.
At least 10 Pakistan cricketers had tested positive for COVID-19 before the team's England tour earlier this year.
Prior to leaving Lahore, all members of the Pakistan squad returned negative results on the four occasions they were tested.
In addition to the senior squad, Pakistan's A team is also here to compete in a couple of four-day matches beginning December 10.
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BJP's reaction to Rahul Gandhi's comments on EC fuels 'mistrust': Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday claimed that BJP leaders routinely respond whenever Congress MP Rahul Gandhi questions the Election Commission's functioning, fuelling "mistrust" in the poll panel.
Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the Election Commission of India over alleged "vote chori", Pawar said Gandhi and other Opposition leaders have raised key issues about the ECI's functioning.
"When Gandhi, the leader of opposition (in the Lok Sabha), raised the issue in Parliament, the institution concerned should have taken note of it. But what is happening is that when Gandhi raises questions and criticises the ECI, the ECI does not answer - it is the BJP and its leaders who respond," he told reporters here.
Instead of the Election Commission, the chief minister and other leaders are responding to such issues, the former Union minister noted.
"By doing this, they are actually contributing to the mistrust about the ECI, which is not good," he added.
Sharpening his attack on the issue of “vote chori” (vote theft), Gandhi last week accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting those who destroyed democracy.
To buttress his allegation, the leader of the opposition cited data from two assembly constituencies in Karnataka and Maharashtra, where he claimed voters were deleted/added in a fraudulent manner.
The Election Commission has dubbed the allegations as incorrect and baseless, and said, “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Gandhi.”
