PSL 2021 | PCB make U-turn; allow Naseem Shah to re-join bubble in Lahore

05/28/2021

Days after evicting Naseem Shah from PSL 2021 for breaking protocol, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made a U-turn and have allowed the youngster to rejoin the team hotel in Lahore. Shah, who represents Quetta Gladiators, now has to return three negative results in order to be cleared.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have retracted the controversial move to throw Naseem Shah out of the remainder of the 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as the youngster has been given the green light to re-enter the team hotel. Earlier this week, players were asked to report to the respective team hotels with a RT-PCR Test taken 48 hours prior to their arrival but Shah broke protocol, instead providing a report dated May 18. This went against the rules, and hence in order to not compromise on safety, the PCB announced that the youngster will not be flying to the UAE.

However, the board have now taken a U-turn as Shah has been asked to re-enter the team hotel. Players are currently being flown to Abu Dhabi in batches (the first batch departed from Pakistan on Thursday) and the PCB have confirmed that Shah will be cleared to travel to the Middle East and partake in PSL 2021 should have clear three Covid Tests - one pre-isolation and two before departure (back-to-back).

The decision comes as a surprise as the organizers, in their initial statement, had made it clear that there was no room for any protocol breach. "The PCB doesn't take any pride in releasing a young fast bowler from its marquee event but if we will ignore this breach, then we will potentially put at risk the entire event," Babar Hamid, commercial director and head of PSL had said.

The PCB are yet to release the revised schedule for the second half of PSL 2021, which will be played in Abu Dhabi.