S. African cricket team arrives in Pakistan after 14 years

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KARACHI
The South African cricket squad arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for their first tour to the country after a 14-year break.
The team, led by Quinton de Kock, reached Karachi via a chartered flight and would be tested for Covid-19. The touring party has cleared two Covid-19 tests which took place on Tuesday and Thursday before boarding flight to Karachi. The players will stay in individual isolation until the results of the first round of testing are released.
Both teams will play two test and three T20 international matches. The test matches will be played at Karachi and Rawalpindi, while all three T20 matches will be played at Lahore. The first test match will be played at Karachi on 26th of this month.
Meanwhile, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official confirmed that those who returned with the first negative tests would be allowed to resume training at a cricket ground adjacent to the team’s hotel on Club Road.
“The South African team will be training at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground from January 17-22 in a bio-secure bubble before moving to National Stadium for a full-fledge training session,” said the official.
The visitors will also play a two-day intra-squad warm-up match during the training period at the Gymkhana ground.
The South African squad, along with Pakistani cricketers, will undergo another round of Covid-19 testing before the first Test — scheduled to start from January 26 at the National Stadium.
Moreover, the Pakistan team will report in Karachi on January 19 and will start training from January 21 at NSK after clearing the first Covid-19 test.
The South Africa’s test squad includes Quinton de Kock (c), Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde, Daryn Dupavillon and Marco Jansen.
Furthermore, the team will name its T20 squad later, while the T20 match specialists are due to arrive in Pakistan on February 3.