St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda: Three West Indies cricket players and a member of the team staff have tested positive for coronavirus on arriving in Pakistan and will miss the upcoming limited-overs series, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said on Saturday.
Left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, all-rounders Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers and a non-coaching staff member “returned positive tests in Karachi and will therefore be unavailable to participate in the upcoming Pakistan series,” CWI said in a statement.
All four had been fully vaccinated and are without major symptoms. They will remain in isolation for 10 days and until they return negative PCR test results.
“Our arrival testing protocols in Pakistan have confirmed four COVID-19 positives,” said CWI chief executive Johnny Grave.
“These were confirmed whilst the players and staff were still in room isolation, so despite this significant setback to our preparation plans, we are confident that the tour can continue as everyone else returned negative PCRs prior to their arrival into Pakistan and two negative PCRs since they have been in Karachi.
“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 CPL.
“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.”
Cottrell, Chase and Mayers were all included in the squad for a three-match T20I series starting on Monday. Chase was also selected for the three one-day internationals that follow in Karachi between December 18 and 22.
Three West Indies cricketers test positive for coronavirus in Pakistan
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Three West Indies cricketers test positive for coronavirus in Pakistan
- Sheldon Cottrell, Roston Chase and Kyle Mayers and a non-coaching staff member test positive
- Will “be unavailable to participate in the upcoming Pakistan series,” Cricket West Indies says
Pakistan accuses India of manipulating Chenab flows, seeks clarification under Indus Waters Treaty
- Foreign office spokesperson says sudden variations in river flows threaten agriculture, food security and livelihoods downstream
- He also condemns a hijab-removal incident in India, calling it part of a broader pattern of religious intolerance and Islamophobia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it had observed abrupt variations in the flow of the River Chenab during the ongoing month, accusing India of manipulating river flows at a critical point in the agricultural cycle and saying it had written to New Delhi seeking clarification.
Local media reported quoted Pakistani officials as saying India released about 58,000 cusecs of water at Head Marala on Dec. 7–8 before sharply reducing flows to roughly 870–1,000 cusecs through Dec. 17, far below the 10-year historical average of 4,000–10,000 cusecs for this period.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi told a weekly media briefing in Islamabad India had failed to share prior information or operational data on the Chenab flows, a practice he said New Delhi had previously followed under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi said earlier this year it had put the treaty “in abeyance” following a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that it blamed on Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied, calling instead for an impartial and transparent international investigation.
Pakistan also described India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty as a violation of international law and an “act of war.”
“Pakistan would like to reiterate that the Indus Waters Treaty is a binding international agreement, which has been an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region,” Andrabi said. “Its breach or violation, on one hand, threatens the inviolability of international treaties in compliance with international law, and on the other hand, it poses serious threats to regional peace, principles of good neighborliness, and norms governing interstate relations.”
Andrabi said Pakistan viewed the sudden variations in the Chenab’s flow with “extreme concern and seriousness,” saying the country’s Indus Waters Commissioner had written to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification in line with procedures outlined in the treaty.
“Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security of our citizens,” he continued. “We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by Pakistan.”
He said Pakistan had fulfilled its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty and urged the international community to take note of India’s “continued disregard” of a bilateral treaty and to counsel New Delhi to act responsibly under international law.
Andrabi maintained Pakistan remained committed to peaceful resolution of disputes with India but would not compromise on its water rights.
In the same briefing, he also condemned an incident in which the chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar was seen in a video forcibly removing the hijab of a Muslim woman during a public interaction, followed by remarks by a minister in Uttar Pradesh who mocked the episode, saying it reflected a broader pattern of religious intolerance and Islamophobia and warranted strong condemnation.
