London: The England cricket team is forced to select a new playing XI after seven members of the team tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday.
As per reports, three players and four members of the backroom staff have tested positive for the virus. The team will now be led by Ben Stokes, as most of the players will undergo isolation.
England skipper Eoin Morgan had earlier said it would be too soon to consider Stokes as a member of the playing XI. The all-rounder was out of the squad for the past several weeks due to an injured finger.
The rest of the new team to face Pakistan will be named later on Tuesday.
‘We have been prepared for this moment, and mindful that the emergence of the Delta variant, along with our move away from the stringent enforcement of bio secure environments, could increase the chances of an outbreak,” said ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison.
“We made a strategic choice to try to adapt protocols, in order to support the overall wellbeing of our players and management staff who have spent much of the 14 months living in very restricted conditions.
The ECB can confirm that seven members of the England Men's ODI party have tested positive for COVID-19.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 6, 2021
“Overnight we have worked swiftly to identify a new squad, and we are grateful to Ben Stokes who will return to England duties to captain.
“We also recognise the impact this news will have on our first-class counties and their men’s playing squads and thank them, along with our partners Sky and Royal London, for their ongoing support in dealing with this pandemic.”
