Mahmudullah to miss PSL after testing positive for coronavirus

Captain of Bangladesh’s T20I team Mahmudullah has tested positive for Covid-19 and is set to miss the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs.

The 34-year-old seasoned all-rounder was scheduled to fly to Pakistan via Dubai on Sunday night, but he has instead gone into self-isolation after his Covid-19 reports returned positive.

He is also doubtful for the Bangabandhu T20 Cup, which is set to get underway on November 21 or 22. Mahmudullah will likely take a second test soon, according to ‘Daily Star’. Mahmudullah was roped in as the replacement for Moeen Ali by PSL table-toppers Multan Sultans.

As per Bangladesh government regulations, an outbound passenger needs to obtain a Covid-19 negative certificate before leaving the country. Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal were called up for the PSL playoffs as overseas replacements.

Tamim is expected to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday. The left-hander will join Lahore Qalandars as Chris Lynn’s replacement. The 2020 PSL playoffs are likely to be held in the second or third week of November.

Earlier this year, the tournament was postponed indefinitely owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

PCB BoG meeting on Monday
The 59th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be held on Monday at the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore.

Pakistan men’s national cricket team’s performance and an update on the remaining four games of Pakistan Super League 2020 are some of the matters that will be discussed in the meeting.

“The 59th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board will be held on Monday, 9 November, at the National High-Performance Centre in Lahore,” the PCB said in an official statement.

PSL 2020 was the first event to be held entirely in Pakistan since its inception in 2016. The fifth edition had commenced in Karachi on February 20 before the coronavirus halted the mega event on March 17.

The remaining four matches (playoffs) of the tournament will now be played in Karachi on November 14, 15, and 17.

Faf du Plessis will represent Peshawar Zalmi as a replacement player for Kieron Pollard, who will be in New Zealand with the West Indies side.

Besides du Plessis, Cameron Delport (Karachi Kings), Dane Vilas, David Wiese (both Lahore Qalandars), Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir (both Multan Sultans), and Hardus Viljoen (Peshawar Zalmi) are the other South African players who will be in action in the tournament.

Six England cricketers, led by Alex Hales and James Vince, have also shown their commitment to continue to feature in one of the most attractive and widely followed leagues.

Meanwhile, after clinching the ODI series, Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe in the first T20I on Saturday. Pakistan are now leading the three-match series by 1-0. The second T20I between both the teams will be played on Sunday, November 8 (today).