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DHAKA: Bangladesh Twenty20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad has been ruled out of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Multan Sultans had roped in Mahmudullah in place of Moeen Ali. Now, Tamim Iqbal, who replaced Chris Lynn in the Lahore Qalandars squad, will be the only Bangladesh cricketer travelling to Pakistan.
“I was surprised by a positive result from my COVID-19 test,” Mahmudullah told reporters before he was due to fly to Pakistan. He further said, “I didn’t have fever or any other symptoms other than a bit of cold. I tested a second time and that also came out as positive.”
“It is disappointing to miss the chance to play in the PSL. It is a competitive tournament. It was a good opportunity to play a couple of matches there. I am now looking forward to getting well soon and try to participate in our Bangabandhu T20 Cup,” he added.
Mahmudullah has been in all of BCB’s camps since September and has also been training individually. Several Bangladesh cricketers — including former skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and Test opener Saif Hasan — have tested positive previously. They have since recovered.
According to the official figures, there have been 418,764 Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh, with over 6000 deaths.
Peshawar Zalmi also made a last-minute change after Liam Livingstone became unavailable following his selection to the England ODI squad for the tour of South Africa. Livingstone will be replaced by Englishman Saqib Mahmood.