LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket team which will play ODIs and T20Is in South Africa from April 2 till April 16 will undergo the first round of coronavirus tests from Tuesday.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the tests would be taken at the players and officials’ respective places in the country. PCB officials further said the squad will then call in Lahore on March 18 for the second phase of the COVID-19 tests.
The third and fourth rounds will take place on March 21 and 24, respectively, while the team will depart for South Africa on March 26, PCB said. PCB plans to start the national squad’s training on March 19. However, the decision will be subject to approval from the Punjab government.
The cricket board said it has reached out to the Punjab government in this regard. “We hope the government allows us to hold the camp,” said a PCB official.
The officials noted the Punjab government had prohibited sporting activities in the province in light of the increasing covid-19 cases. Pakistan is scheduled to play three ODIs and four T20Is against South Africa from April 2 till April 16.
Pakistan national cricket team will depart for Johannesburg on 26 March and will play the three Super League matches on 2, 4 and 7 April. Centurion will stage the first and third ODIs, while the second match will be played in Johannesburg.
The three ODIs are part of the ICC Men’s World Cup Super League and will count towards automatic qualification for the World Cup 2023. Both teams will also feature in four T20Is matches.
There were three T20Is were scheduled but the PCB has agreed to play an additional match on the request of Cricket South Africa Johannesburg will host the opening two matches on 10 and 12 April, while Pretoria will be the venue for the third and fourth T20Is.
This will be Pakistan’s second series in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. After defeating Zimbabwe 2-1 in November 2020, Pakistan is currently placed fifth on the table.
 In contrast, this will be South Africa’s first outing in the league. In the 13-side league, each side has to play eight series over a two-year period, including four at home and four away.
The tour to South Africa was originally planned for October 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has now been rescheduled for April, prior to Pakistan’s two-Test and three T20I tour to Zimbabwe, which will commence on 17 April.
PCB confirms Super League fixtures against South Africa
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— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) February 12, 2021
