Three Pakistan cricketers test COVID-19 positive ahead of team's departure to England
Karachi: Pakistan cricketers Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and rookie Haider Ali on Monday tested positive for COVID-19, raising fresh questions over players' safety ahead of the team's departure to England.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed three players Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan have tested positive for Covid-19," said the PCB in a statement.
"The players had shown no symptoms until they were tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of the Pakistan men's national cricket team's tour to England.
"The PCB medical panel is in contact with the three who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation," the statement said further.
Leg-spinner Shadab is the only established member of the team out of the three. Rauf has played only two T20 Internationals while highly-rated batsman Ali had received his maiden call-up for the England tour comprising three Tests and as many T20s.
All the squad members are being tested for coronavirus ahead of the team's departure on June 28.
"Imad Wasim and Usman Shinwari, also screened in Rawalpindi, have tested negative and, as such, will travel to Lahore on 24 June.
"The other players and team officials, barring Cliffe Deacon, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis, underwent tests at their respective centres in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar on Monday.
"Their results are expected at some stage on Tuesday, which will also be announced by the PCB through its usual channels. Until then, the PCB will not make any further comment," the PCB added.
Besides a 29-member squad, the PCB has also named four reserves for the England tour -- Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz.
Also on Monday, PCB doctor Sohail Saleem said that the England tour in the midst of the pandemic is a "big risk" but a necessary one.
Earlier this month, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had tested positive for the deadly virus. Former Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar was also tested positive for the virus but he has recovered.
Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza had tested COVID-19 positive last week alongside Nazmul Islam and Nafees Iqbal.
The West Indies tour of England beginning next month marks the resumption of international cricket, followed by the Pakistan series. Both series will be played in a bio-secure environment.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
