London: England were forced to select a completely new squad Tuesday for the one-day international series against Pakistan. This happened after three players and four members of the support staff tested positive for coronavirus. The initially selected squad went into isolation following the results of tests taken Monday. The samples were taken a day after the team’s last ODI against Sri Lanka in Bristol. It is not yet known what the Sri Lankan players will do.
The names of those who tested positive have not been disclosed. The remainder of the group was identified as close contacts.
The three ODIs and three Twenty20s against Pakistan will start Thursday with the first ODI in Cardiff. The ECB said they were still going ahead and at the same venues.
England’s revised, hastily assembled ODI squad includes nine new caps. The side will be captained for the first time by Ben Stokes and coached by Chris Silverwood. The latter was allowed to take some time off during the white-ball series but has been pressed back into action.
The initial squad will be back in time to play the T20 series, which starts on July 16.
“We’re in unprecedented territory in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team,” said Ashley Giles, director of England’s men’s cricket. “I’m proud of how everyone has come together in order to get it done,” Giles added.
Most of those who tested positive are without symptoms, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said. It also stated that some of those infected are feeling unwell.
All players in the initial squad received at least one vaccine jab, but not everyone was fully vaccinated. “We have been mindful that the emergence of the delta variant, along with our move away from the stringent enforcement of bio-secure environments, could increase the chances of an outbreak,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said.
“We made a strategic choice to try to adapt protocols, in order to support the overall wellbeing of our players and management staff who have spent much of the last 14 months living in very restricted conditions,” Harrison added.
The new 18-man squad and staff drafted in will need to submit negative tests. They will have to complete ‘bridging protocols’ before joining the squad in Cardiff.
That match will take place in front of a 50 per cent capacity crowd, with the second game at Lord’s on Saturday representing cricket’s first 100% crowd since the pandemic began. The series then concludes at Edgbaston.
Revised England squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Jake Ball, Danny Briggs, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Phil Salt, John Simpson and James Vince.
