The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday that former captain Mohammad Hafeez breached the bio-security protocol imposed by the England and Wales Cricket Board for the ongoing away series.
The all-rounder, who is not a part of the Test squad, is there for the limited-overs leg of the tour.
On Wednesday, Hafeez tweeted a picture of himself with an elderly lady from the golf course adjacent to the team hotel despite strict instructions that they shouldn’t interact with anyone outside the bubble.
Hafeez put himself in trouble when he posted a tweet of himself and the lady, terming her as inspirational.
The following is the Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s statement on Mohammad Hafeez:
“This morning, Mohammad Hafeez went to a golf course, which is adjacent to the team hotel and part of the bio-secure bubble. During the golf round, he was photographed with a member of the public, which he subsequently posted on his social media account.
“As it was evident from the photograph that Hafeez had breached the two-metre social distancing protocol and following a consultation process with the team doctor, the team management has decided to isolate him until he returns a negative Covid-19 test.
“Hafeez underwent the Covid-19 test late Wednesday afternoon and the result is expected at some stage on Thursday.
“The decision to put Hafeez in isolation has been taken for his and, the safety and security of everyone around him. The team management believes it was an inadvertent mistake, but a good reminder for everyone on the importance of following the bio-secure protocols, which have been designed for the health and safety of everyone involved in the series.
“The team management has updated the England and Wales Cricket Board of its decision.”
The ECB medical team is aware of the breach of protocol and Hafeez will most likely have to isolate himself for five days and then pass two Covid-19 tests before he rejoins the team again.
Hafeez was among those players who had tested positive before travelling to England but then created an embarrassing situation for the PCB when he privately got himself tested and the result was negative which he posted on his Twitter account. He returned two more negative tests before being permitted to travel to the UK.
The ECB is taking any breach of the bio-security protocol very seriously and fast bowler Joffra Archer was also reprimanded and was dropped for the second Test against West Indies after he also breached the bubble by going to his apartment in Brighton.
A source close to the Pakistan team said Hafeez’s breach of protocol had upset everyone as all players had been told specifically to avoid interaction with anyone outside the bio-secure bubble, since the course is open to the public in Southampton.
(With inputs from PTI)
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