KARACHI: Three West Indies cricketers have tested positive for coronavirus and will miss the limited-overs series in Pakistan starting next week.

       Cricket West Indies (CWI) said on Saturday left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers tested positive in Karachi and are self-isolating for 10 days.

       All three were in the Twenty20 squad while Chase was also chosen for the three one-day internationals in Karachi that follow the three T20s.

       A non-coaching member of the West Indies staff also tested positive. CWI said all four members of the touring party were fully vaccinated and without major symptoms.

       CWI chief executive Johnny Grave said the rest of the group have continually tested negative and the tour will go on. “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 (Caribbean Premier League),” Grave said in a statement.

       “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,” he said.

       The series of three T20s begins on Monday.

       The limited-overs squad already received a blow when regular captain Kieron Pollard was ruled out due to a hamstring injury he sustained last month during the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

       Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2021