England have selected an entirely new squad for their limited-overs series versus Pakistan after three players and four staff members tested positive for Covid-19, the ECB said on Tuesday.
With barely a day to go for the first of the three ODIs, Ben Stokes was named captain of an 18-man squad which included nine uncapped players. The seven members of the England squad tested positive in Bristol on Monday, a day after the rain-ruined final match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
“... Those impacted will now observe a period of self-isolation from July 4 following the UK government’s protocol on quarantine,” the ECB said in a statement. “The remaining members of the party have been deemed close contacts and will also isolate.”
Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, David Payne, Phil Salt and John Simpson are England’s potential debutants in the upcoming ODI series.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it was satisfied with the assurances from the ECB and “comfortable with the existing protocols” to ensure the safety of their touring party.