After an epidemic of the coronavirus infected three players and four members of staff, England was compelled to name an entirely new squad for the one-day international series against Pakistan on Tuesday.
Following the findings of tests conducted on Monday, a day after the team’s last ODI against Sri Lanka in Bristol, the initial squad was placed in isolation.
The identities of individuals who tested positive have remained anonymous. Close contacts were recognised as the rest of the group. The three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Pakistan, which begins on Thursday in Cardiff with the first ODI, were still scheduled to take place at the same locations.
England’s ODI squad has been reassembled with nine new caps and will be captained for the first time by Ben Stokes and coached by Chris Silverwood, who was supposed to take a break for the white-ball series but has been pressed back into action.
The initial squad will return in time for the T20 series to begin on July 16.
“We’re in uncharted ground in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team,” Giles, England’s men’s cricket director, said, “and I’m proud of how everyone has come together to get it done.”
The majority of people who tested positive have no symptoms, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board, although some are experiencing discomfort.
Although every player in the inaugural squad had at least one vaccine shot, not everyone was entirely protected.
“We’ve been aware that the development of the delta variety, along with our shift away from strict bio-secure environment regulation, might enhance the risk of an outbreak,” ECB CEO Harrison stated.
“We made the strategic choice to try to change practises in order to boost the overall well-being of our players and management staff, who have spent much of the last 14 months living in extremely cramped quarters.”
Before joining the squad in Cardiff, the new 18-man squad and drafted-in personnel must submit negative tests and undergo “bridging processes.”
On Saturday, the first game at Lord’s will be played in front of a half-capacity audience, with the second game at Lord’s gathering the first 100 percent crowd in cricket since the pandemic began. At Edgbaston, the series comes to a close.Stokes has been ruled out of Durham’s match against Warwickshire in the English County Championship. England had originally left him out in order to monitor his recovery from a finger operation.
Revised England squad:
- Ben Stokes (captain)
- Jake Ball
- Danny Briggs,
- Ben Duckett
- Lewis Gregory
- Tom Helm
- Will Jacks
- Dan Lawrence
- Saqib Mahmood
- Dawid Malan
- Craig Overton
- Brydon Carse
- Zak Crawley
- Matt Parkinson
- David Payne
- Phil Salt
- John Simpson
- James Vince
