England vs Pakistan: Hosts forced to select new squad after seven members of ODI party test positive for COVID-19

England will be forced to select a completely new squad for the ODI series against Pakistan due to an outbreak of the coronavirus in their one-day international squad. Tests on Monday, a day after the team’s last ODI against Sri Lanka in Bristol, revealed seven infections among three players and four staff. None were named.

The Royal London ODIs and the Vitality IT20s against Pakistan will go ahead. Ben Stokes will return to England duties and captain the squad – which will be named in the next few hours. pic.twitter.com/LH3mBm8wOz

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 6, 2021

The squad has gone into isolation dating from Sunday, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement. The six-match limited-overs series against Pakistan, starting on Wednesday with the first ODI in Cardiff, was still going ahead. England planned to name a new squad on Tuesday to be captained by Ben Stokes. “We have been 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,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said. “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 last 14 months living in very restricted conditions.” With AP inputs