Sheldon Cottrell, Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers are among four members of the West Indies touring party who have tested positive for Covid-19 after the contingent arrived in two batches in Karachi on December 9. The trio, along with a non-coaching member of the team management, will now undergo self-isolation and will subsequently be unavailable for the three-match T20I series, which begins in Karachi on Monday.

According to a CWI media release, the four members will be in isolation for ten days and until they return negative tests. They will be monitored by Dr. Akshai Mansingh, the team physician.

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Johnny Grave, the CEO of CWI, confirmed that the tour will go ahead as scheduled despite the Covid-19 cases in the touring camp.

“Our arrival testing protocols in Pakistan have confirmed four (4) Covid-19 positives,” Grave said. “These were confirmed whilst the players and staff were still in room isolation, so despite this significant setback to our preparation plans, we are confident that the tour can continue as everyone else returned negative PCRs prior to their arrival into Pakistan and two negative PCRs since they have been in Karachi.

“The risk of Covid-19 infection is impossible to remove completely from a cricket tour, in spite of the fact that many of our players have been living in bio-secure bubbles almost continuously since before the CPL. This unusual loss of three players from our squad will seriously impact our team preparations, but the rest of the squad are in good spirits and will begin training today ahead of our first game on Monday.”

The absence of Cottrell, Chase and Myers further depletes a West Indies that is already without their senior players. While regular captain Kieron Pollard has been sidelined from the tour with injury, Andre Russell is instead turning out for the Melbourne Stars in the ongoing Big Bash League.

Karachi will host the entire white-ball series, which will end with a three-match ODI rubber.

Sheldon CottrellRoston ChaseKyle MayersWest IndiesWest Indies in Pakistan