No bio-bubble in Pakistan-West Indies series: Reports

The Pakistan Cricket Board is set to eliminate bio-bubbles from the series against West Indies. The players and coaching staff will not have to live in the bio-bubble environment anymore as the PCB wants to adopt a corona-free policy for future matches scheduled to be played at home.

According to sources, the players and staff can also interact, and cricket will be played in a normal environment as pre-pandemic time. The PCB will soon send the proposal to the Cricket West Indies to play the series in a corona-free climate as their approval is essential to take the step. 

The proposed planning says corona testing on the arrival of the West Indies team will not be mandatory, and every other day test will also not be conducted during the series. Testing will only be done in case of any symptoms are shown by a player. In the case of a positive Covid result, the individual will be isolated for five days. In all future international series and domestic tournaments in Pakistan, the board is planning to adopt the same policy. 

The PCB did not create a bio-bubble environment in the recently concluded Pakistan One-Day Cup. The players were suggested to take precautionary measures, but there were no strict guidelines. 

Fortunately, not a single Covid case was reported during the tournament. A total of 33 matches were played in the Pakistan Cup without any Covid threat. The National Command and Control Center (NCOC) has also been abolished, and all government restrictions have been lifted. After the successful experiment, therefore, the PCB officials are ready to adopt the same in international matches.

According to a higher official of PCB, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) permission is not required to end Covid protocols for a bilateral series. The mutual agreement between the two boards is enough.