PSL 2021: Peshawar Zalmi's Darren Sammy, Wahab Riaz in isolation after violating COVID-19 protocols

By
Faizan Lakhani
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The combo shows Peshawar Zalmi's skipper Wahab Riaz (L) and Head Coach Darren Sammy (L).

KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi suffered a major blow on Saturday when their skipper Wahab Riaz and Head Coach Darren Sammy were sent into isolation after they broke COVID-19 protocols, sources told Geo News.

Reliable sources within the team and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) management have confirmed that Wahab, along with Sammy, had mistakenly met the team owner (Javed Afridi) during its practice session on Friday evening.

“It may be an honest mistake and possibility the player and coach didn’t know that he was not part of the bubble,” a source said.

Read more: Kamran Akmal warns former teammate Hasan Ali of tough competition

Peshawar Zalmi will announce a stand-in captain for Sundays’ game with Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal are likely candidates for the role to wear captain’s band.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on late Friday night had announced that a player and an official of one of the teams taking part in the PSL 2021 have been placed in three-day quarantine after they came into contact with a person outside the bio-secure bubble on Friday.

The two individuals will now require two negative tests during the three-day quarantine period before they can re-enter the bio-secure bubble in accordance with the re-entry protocols.

“The PCB is disappointed that two members of one of the sides showed carelessness and violated the bio-secure bubble protocols by coming into a contact with a person who was not part of the bubble,” the PCB had said.