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LAHORE: The Pakistan cricket team will visit South Africa for an official tour despite the travel restriction imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for travellers from the African country.
The aviation body issued a new travel guideline placing 12 countries, including South Africa, in Category C and imposing strict travel restrictions amid the coronavirus spread. The countries included in Category C are prohibited from travelling to Pakistan.
Pakistan team will travel to South Africa through a chartered flight on March 26 and are scheduled to play three one-day internationals and four T20 internationals against from April 2 to April 16 in Johannesburg and Centurion.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has assured that the national side’s tour will continue as scheduled. A PCB spokesperson said the government was aware of the team’s tour and the cricket board had sought permissions to hold the training camp in Lahore.
The spokesperson said that the national team would complete a three-day quarantine period in South Africa while practice will be allowed for those players who clear the COVID-19 test upon arrival.
After the completion of the series in South Africa, the team will go to Zimbabwe through a commercial flight where they will play three T20Is and two Tests. The team will return home on May 12 through a chartered flight.
The 34 member team, presently attending a training camp in Lahore, cleared their third COVID-19 test conducted on 21 March. Their final tests will be conducted on 24 March.
Pacer Hasan Ali, who last week tested positive for COVID-19, will enter the bio-secure bubble on 23 March where he will remain in isolation for 24 hours. He will undergo two further tests on March 24 before he is cleared to embark on tour with the team.
