LAHORE, Pakistan, (Reuters) – Pakistan is halting its flagship cricket tournament which started last month after seven of the team’s personnel tested positive for COVID-19, the cricket board said yesterday.
Teams competing in the country’s highest-profile sports event, where international players also participate, were all present in the southern city of Karachi, where games were played.
“The health and well-being of all participants is paramount,” said a cricket board statement.
The decision to suspend HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6 was made immediately following a meeting with the team owners, he said. The decision was made after seven cases were reported in the competition, which began Feb. 20.
An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told Reuters that there were three international players among the seven who tested positive.
Officials did not give an immediate resume date.
To date Pakistan has recorded 585,435 cases of COVID-19 and over 13,000 deaths. The last two days have seen over 130 deaths, according to government data.
Pakistan only locked down for a few weeks after the first COVID-19 outbreak was discovered in March last year, and has lifted the few restrictions it had in place since.
Last week authorities gave permission for the PSL tournament to increase the crowd size from stadium capacity by 20 percent to 50 percent.