Aamer Sohail Lambastes PCB For Its 'Mishandling' Of The COVID-19 Test Process Following Mohammad Hafeez Private Test Controversy

Aamer Sohail, former Pakistan opener-turned commentator, has weighed in on the controversy that has ensued with the Mohammad Hafeez Covid-19 test fiasco.

Recently, a total of ten Pakistani players were tested positive for Covid-19 which also included all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.

Hafeez, however, proceeded to test himself privately, post which he announced that he has been tested negative. But in another turn of events, the former captain was once again tested positive in another round of tests conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board [PCB].

The fact that Mohammad Hafeez decided to test on his own hasn’t left the PCB impressed. Wasim Khan, the chief executive officer of the PCB, during a recent interaction with Youtube channel Cricket Baaz, said that Hafeez’s decision to take private tests without prior consultation with the board has caused.

Also Read: Covid-Positive Players Can’t Travel To England, Says ECB As It Gives Green Light To Pakistan Series

‘This matter was handled so badly by the PCB’- Aamer Sohail

Aamer Sohail, however, has come out in support of Mohammad Hafeez, adding that the whole situation was badly mismanaged by the PCB.

“The whole Mohammad Hafeez COVID-19 test fiasco has been a matter of embarrassment for Pakistan and I fail to understand how this matter was handled so badly by the PCB,” Aamer Sohail wrote in his blog for PakPassion.net.

“Firstly tests were done after the squad was announced and instead of doing all tests in one laboratory, players were sent to different facilities for tests resulting in conflicting reports. Without jumping the gun, they should have done scrutiny of those results and if needed got them redone to confirm before going public with them” Sohail added.

Sohail added that it is unrealistic to think that Hafeez would not go public with the results of his test since there is no code of conduct in his contract that can prevent him from doing so.

“And to expect Mohammad Hafeez to not go public with results of his COVID-19 test when PCB had announced that he had tested positive would be unrealistic as he is not bound by any code of conduct which would be the case if he was a centrally contracted player,” Sohail added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan tour of England is set to go ahead despite ten of its players getting tested for coronavirus. The Men in Green will play three Tests and as many T20Is on English soil in August.

Also Read: PCB Slams Mohammad Hafeez For Taking Private Covid-19 Test