Quetta Gladiators fast bowler Anwar Ali has tested positive for Covid-19 and won’t take the flight to Abu Dhabi for the remaining matches of the PSL 2021 according to a report in ESPNCricinfo. There are two charter flights that are leaving from Karachi and Lahore.
The fast bowler had tested negative before he checked into the hotel in Karachi but then returned with a positive result on Tuesday. He has been isolated for 10 days in the same hotel but on a different floor and would be released from the hotel only after returning two negative tests.
The franchise members are scheduled to take the flight to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (May 26) will have to be quarantined for seven days and will have to be tested negative twice before being allowed to get into the bio-bubble environment.
There have been three separate bubbles created by the PCB, one for players, support staff, match officials, hotel staff and PCB officials; the second, in a different hotel, for the TV production crew and key event management personnel; and the third is an accommodation dedicated to the ground staff.
The Gladiators had earlier suffered another blow after Naseem Shah was ruled out of the competition for breaching the Covid-19 protocols.
"The PCB doesn't take any pride in releasing a young fast bowler from its marquee event but if we will ignore this breach, then we will potentially put at risk the entire event," Babar Hamid, commercial director and head of PSL said. "We appreciate Quetta Gladiators for accepting this decision as it confirms we are all aligned to strictly following and implementing the protocols."
The PSL 2021 had been postponed earlier after there were instances of Covid-19 cases within the franchises. It was then rescheduled to take place between June 1 to June 20 in Karachi but the franchises had requested the PCB to move it to the UAE citing the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.