Three West Indies players – left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, all-rounder Roston Chase and Kyle Meyers – have tested positive for coronavirus Karachi and was ruled out of the Twenty20 series. They will be in isolation in Karachi for 10 days and will be monitored by the team doctor till they test negative.
The West Indies Twenty20 team already misses out on several top performers for the three-match Twenty20 series, which will be followed by three ODIs – also in Karachi. Notable absences include white-ball captain Kieron Pollard, who will be ruled out due to a hamstring injury during the T20 World Cup, while Andre Russell is playing in the Big Bash League in Australia.
“We will try to carry on the momentum that started in the (T20) World Cup,” Babar told reporters during a video conference on Sunday.
“We are not going to take them (West Indies) easy because they didn’t bring their best players. They have played in CPL (Caribbean Premier League) and international games, so you have to give your 100 per cent to beat them.”
Babar led with loads of runs in the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates as Pakistan went on to win their five group games before losing to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals. Pakistan followed up their stellar performances by beating Bangladesh 3–0 in the Twenty20 series in Bangladesh before winning the two-match Test series 2–0.
Defending champion West Indies, on the other hand, stumbled in the UAE as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Nicholas Pooran replaced the injured Pollard for the Twenty20 series, while Shai Hope will lead the side in the ODIs.
Babar sympathized with West Indies for losing three players due to coronavirus and admitted that it is difficult for cricketers to spend time in isolation.
“It’s a difficult time for a team when your player tests positive,” he said.
“Living in isolation is difficult, our team has gone through it. When you are alone in the room, a lot of negative thoughts come to your mind and the team composition gets affected as well.”
Pakistan has lost just one domestic Twenty20 series since the international Cricket Returned to Pakistan in 2015 when Sri Lanka beat them 3-0 in 2019. They beat Zimbabwe twice and also registered series victories against Bangladesh, South Africa, a World XI and West Indies when they last toured in 2018.
The Pakistan government has allowed a full capacity crowd at the National Stadium for the first time since the pandemic began and Babar is hopeful that fans of the home team will get to watch some quality cricket.
“The main thing is that we are playing a home series and the best thing for us is that the whole crowd will be allowed inside the stadium.”
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