CEO warns Pakistan players
\nNew Zealand government\u2019s zero tolerance of Covid protocol breaches leaves tour in jeopardy
\nnews desk
\nislamabad
\nPakistan Cricket Board CEO Wasim Khan was told by the New Zealand government that one more breach of New Zealand\u2019s Covid-19 protocols by the Pakistan squad would result in the entire travelling party being deported.
\nIn a WhatsApp voice message to the travelling players which ESPNcricinfo has obtained, the PCB CEO addressed his players candidly, telling them being sent back home would be \u201chugely embarrassing\u201d.
\n\u201cBoys, I spoke to the New Zealand government and they told us there were three or four breaches of protocols,\u201d Wasim Khan said in the voice note. \u201cThey have a zero-tolerance policy and they\u2019ve given us a final warning. We understand that this is a difficult time for you, and you went through similar conditions in England. It\u2019s not easy. But this is a matter of the nation\u2019s respect and credibility. Observe these 14 days and then you\u2019ll have the freedom to go to restaurants and roam about freely. They have told me in clear terms that if we commit one more breach, they\u2019ll send us home.\u201d
\nThe Pakistan squad is due to play three T20s and two Tests in New Zealand, and landed in Auckland on a chartered flight with special permission obtained from the New Zealand government. They moved on to Christchurch, where they were set to undergo 14 days of strict isolation. The arrangements, however, got off to a rocky start when six players returned positive Covid-19 tests upon landing in New Zealand; the PCB had claimed there were no positive tests in the travelling party in Lahore, from where the team flew. The six players were moved into a separate isolation facility.
\nMore significantly, New Zealand Cricket issued a statement revealing several players had breached quarantine regulations, and that the team would be put on a \u201cfinal warning\u201d. It prompted a rebuke from New Zealand\u2019s director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, who said it was \u201ca privilege to come to New Zealand to play sport, but in return teams must stick to the rules that are designed to keep Covid-19 out of our communities\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CEO warns Pakistan players New Zealand government\u2019s zero tolerance of Covid protocol breaches leaves tour in jeopardy news desk islamabad Pakistan Cricket Board CEO Wasim Khan was told by the New Zealand government that one more breach of New Zealand\u2019s Covid-19 protocols by the Pakistan squad would result in the entire travelling party being deported. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n