ISLAMABAD: Three cricketers and five support staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus, the cricket board confirmed on Friday, ahead of of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The seventh edition of PSL is scheduled to start in Karachi on Jan. 27 and run through Feb. 27.
In early March last year, the tournament was postponed after players and members of the support staff contracted COVID-19. The league resumed in June.
PCB chief operating officer Salman Naseer, who is also the PSL director, said the positive eight cased were detected after coronavirus screening on Thursday.
“As per latest results received, in over 250 tests conducted since Thursday, three players and five support staff have tested positive and have been isolated,” Naseer said in a press release.
“Players and support staff having completed isolation and received two negative tests will start training from 24 January.”
He added that the PCB has “robust health and safety plans” to make sure the league is held in the announced timeframe and has been regularly testing tournament staff and franchise players arriving in Karachi since Jan. 14.
“PCB remains committed to creating a safe and secure environment for all participants so that they can play and perform to the best of their abilities,” he said.
The PSL is Pakistan’s own professional T20 cricket league, comprising six teams that each represent their city. Over the past six years, the PSL has become wildly popular with fans in Pakistan and abroad for the exhilarating action and rivalry that accompanies the tournament.
In the first match of its seventh edition, defending champions Multan Sultans will face the home team Karachi Kings.
Quetta Gladiators will stand toe to toe with the 2017 winners Peshawar Zalmi on the following day.
In the first of the six double-headers to be played in the 32-day tournament, Multan Sultans will take on the 2020 runners-up Lahore Qalandars, followed by a contest between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators.
After Karachi hosts 15 matches from Jan. 27 to Feb. 7, action will shift to Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium where the remaining 15 league matches and four play-offs will be held.
The final match of the tournament will also take place in Lahore.
Players, support staff test positive for COVID ahead of PSL matches
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Players, support staff test positive for COVID ahead of PSL matches
- Seventh edition of PSL is scheduled to start in Karachi on Jan. 27 and run through Feb. 27
- Last year, the tournament was postponed after players and members of the support staff contracted the virus
World Bank president in Pakistan to discuss development projects, policy issues
- Pakistan, World Bank are currently gearing up to implement a 10-year partnership framework to grant $20 billion loans to the cash-strapped nation
- World Bank President Ajay Banga will hold meetings with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials during the high-level visit
ISLAMABAD: World Bank President Ajay Banga has arrived in Pakistan to hold talks with senior government officials on development projects and key policy issues, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, as Islamabad seeks multilateral support to stabilize economy and accelerate growth.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan and the World Bank are gearing up to implement a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to grant $20 billion in loans to the cash-strapped nation.
The World Bank’s lending for Pakistan, due to start this year, will focus on education quality, child stunting, climate resilience, energy efficiency, inclusive development and private investment.
"World Bank President Ajay Banga arrives in Pakistan for a high-level visit," the state-run Pakistan TV Digital reported on Sunday. "During his stay, he will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials to discuss economic reforms, development projects, and key policy issues."
Pakistan, which nearly defaulted on its foreign debt obligations in 2023, is currently making efforts to stabilize its economy under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
Besides efforts to boost trade and foreign investment, Islamabad has been seeking support from multilateral financial institutions to ensure economic recovery.
“This partnership fosters a unified and focused vision for your county around six outcomes with clear, tangible and ambitious 10-year targets,” Martin Raiser, the World Bank vice president for South Asia, had said at the launch of the CPF in Jan. last year.
“We hope that the CPF will serve as an anchor for this engagement to keep us on the right track. Partnerships will equally be critical. More resources will be needed to have the impact at the scale that we wish to achieve and this will require close collaboration with all the development partners.”
In Dec., the World Bank said it had approved $700 million in financing for Pakistan under a multi-year initiative aimed at supporting the country's macroeconomic stability and service delivery.
It followed a $47.9 million World Bank grant in August last year to improve primary education in Pakistan's most populous Punjab province.
